O PRINCETON, N. J. rrERPRETATION 132 Importance of interpretation. Biblical stady 132 Eules of interpretation 133 Practical advices 134 8 CONTENTS. §8. Invention- Page 1?^ The special faculties of knowledge 137 Offices of tlie imaginatioD 139 Processes of invention 141 Generalization 143 Analysis 14? Hypothesis 14& Comparison , 1 50 Exercise 1 51 Practical rules 152 % 4. Disposition. 153 Its nature 153 Its importance .55 Its general offices 156 CHAPTER VII. DISPOSITION APPLIED TO THE PRINCIPAL PARTS OF A DISCOURSE. Ancient systems of disposition 160 Explanation of terms 160 Comprehensive character of the argument 161 § 1. The Introduction 162 Two kinds, formal and informal. Occasions for informal 162 Design of an introduction 164 Different kinds 164 Desirable qualities 164 Materials for introduction 167 Order of preparation 167 I 2. The Ai£glment 169 Confusion of authors in respect to dispi sition, division, etc. . 169 Proper relations of the text and the theme or subject 171 Tabular view of the sermon and its parts 172 Different modes of discussion distinguished 174 Explanatory discussion . . 177 Definition. Narration. Description. Exemplification 178-180 Observational discussion 181 Propositional discussion 184 Applicatory discussion. The field of persuasion 18» CHAPTER VHI. IIOMILETICAL PRAXIS ON THE ARGUMENT. Nature and importance of Praxis 195 Generalization 197 Division. Tabular view 198, 199 General rules of division 200 CONTENTS. 9 1 1 Textva l Division Tage 201 Natuial order 202 Analytical 203 Synthetical 205 I 2, Topical Division 206 Present use of the term topical not drawn from the loci com- munes of the ancients 206 Advantages of topical division 208 Principal modes 209 By analysis 210 By relations 211 By illustration 211 By exhibition of motives 212 By proofs 213 Eelations between division and discussion 214 The uses of division 215 Abuses of division 217 Question of the statement of divisions 217 Eules 220 CHAPTER IX. THE CONCLUSION. mportance of conclusions 222 Their proper design 223 § 1. The Matter appropriate to Conclusions 224 Inferences. Eecapitulation. Appeal. Exhortation 224, 225 Ehetorical advices as to excitation 225 Devotional expressions 227 A striking passage of Scripture. Prayer. Doxology. 227 228 $ 2. Essential Characteristics of Conclusions 229 CHAPTER X. ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THE SERMON AS A WHOLE. 1, Evangelical Character 2S3 As to the truth employed. As to the spirit and manner of its deli very. Historical proof of its importance 233-238 2. Interest 239 Necessity of awakening interest in religious themes 239 Means of so doing 240 Be deeply interested yourself 240 Cultivate clearness and vividness of expression 242 Acquire felicity, and practice frequency of illustration 243 10 CONTENTS. To tliis end study the laws of figurative language. .. . Page 244 Learn the uses o^ simile and int^aphor 245 Employ illustrations from analogy 247 Euiploy appropriate scriptural and historical allusions by statements of fact and hypothesis 249 Eules in reference to illustration 251 § }. Instruction 2i^3 Its indispensable importance — contemplated in the original command of the Saviour 253 In order to it ministers must be constant learners 253 They must form systematic and comprehensive plans of in- struction 254 S 4. Efficiency 255 Preaching contemplates certain great objects 255 The diflFusion of truth and consequent overthrow of error. . 255 The conversion of souls 255 The practice of righteousness 256 The establishment and edification of the Church of Christ. 256 No preaching etticient which does not accomplish one or more of these objects .■ 256 Elements of efficiency 258 Earnestness 253 Christian sympathy 260 Unction 262 CHAPTER XL THE CLASSIFICATIOX OF SERMONS. Advantages of classification 267 Proper basis of classification 263 § 1. ExPOSITOIlY DiSCULKSES 269 § 2. Hortatory Discourses 372 $ 3. Doctrinal Discourses 274 § 4. Practical Discourses 276 1 5. Miscellaneous or Occasional Discourses 278 Funerals 279 Special providences 281 Missions and benevolence 231 Festival occasions 288 Temperance 283 Education and Sunday-schools 284 Preaching to children 284 Reasons why they should be the special subjects of preaching 286 Two modes : 1. Children's department in sermons 286 2, Special sermons to children 288 Elements of smcccss in preaching to the young 283- 9iJ.* CONTENTS. 11 CHAPTER XII. THE STYLE OF SERMONS. JStyle a msans, not an end Page 202 ^ General qualities demanded in a o^ood style 202 Purity. Precision. Perspicuity. Unity. Strength 292,293 1 1, Special Qualities eeqvired in a good Pulpit Style 2!i3 Dignified simplicity 2'.)3 Scriptural congruity 21i6 Earnest directness 2!»9 Energy 300 % 2. Means of cultivating a good Pulpit Style 302 Conversation 302 A careful study of the elements and lexicography of one's native language 303 Eeading and study of the best authors 304 Writing 305 CHAPTER XIII. THE DELIVERY OF SERMONS. { 1. Possible Modes consideked 307 Eecitation. Advantages and disadvantages 307 Eeading. Arguments in favor of reading 310 Objections to reading as a mode of delivery 311 Extemporaneous delivery 312 Objections urged against it 313 Arguments f )r it 314 A composite mode of delivery 314 { 2. Histokical View of the Practice and Tueokies of Past Ages in reference to this Subject 316 Sermons not read daring the apostolic era 317 Extemporaneous discourse practiced during the early ages of the Church 318 The custom of reciting sermons introduced iu the fourth century 320 Eecitation retained iu the Continental Churches 322 The custom of reading arose in England about the middle of the sixteenth century 324 Eeading has since prevailed somewhat extensively in England and in the United States of America 325 The verdict of ages in favor of extemporaneous delivery ren- dered as perfect as possible by auxiliary writing . . ; 325 13 CONTEI^TS. CHAPTER XIV. PULPIT ELOCUTION. 8 1. Its iMroKTANCE as the Executi'^'E Branch of IIomiletic3. Page S29 § 2. Faults to be Avoided 3S 2 Awkwardness 332 Carelessness 332 Haughtiness and harshness 3-33 Formality 333 Levity 333 Monotony and dullness 334 § S. Excellences to be Acquired 334 Ease and refinement of manners. Self-possession and seren- ity of mind. Gravity. Affectionate anxiety. Earnestness 335 §4. Means of Attaining a good Pulpit Elocution 335 Thorough mental cultivation 335 Systematic training of the voice and other physical powers. . 335 A proper discipline of the heart as a means of developing the moral power of the preacher 338 CHAPTER XV. HABITS OF PREPAKxVTIOX FOR PREACHING. In.portance of right views of the subject 840 § 1. PitEi.iMiNARY Preparation involve?: Moral preparation 341 Educational preparation. Embracing Mental discipline 342 The acquisition of large stores of knowledge 342 A special development of the powers of expression 342 Eule. First, acquire readiness ; second, correctness ; third, force 346 I 2, General Preparation should be Contini'ous and IIabitu^al. 347 jf 8. Special Preparation uequires The study of subjects for particular occasions 343 The careful elaboration of a plan of discourse 349 Detailed composition in writing 354 Advantages of writing 355 As a means of self-discipline and of thought 355 Writing improves the style of a speaker 356 It enal)les him to profit by his past labors 357 It becomes a means of extending his usefulness 358 Wrong habits of writing 358 CONTENTS. 13 Rules to aid in forming correct habits Page 3"i8 Extract from Olin 3(51 The proper use of plans 363 Special preparation for reading and recitation 304 CHAPTER XVI. rREACinXG AS A PASTORAL DUTY. PiKJuliar position of a young pastor 364 Propriety of introductory sermons 366 The great objects of the true pastor are : S 1. The Edification of the Chlt.cu promoted by Ministrations suited to individuals and classes of believers. .. 367 The thoiough instruction of the Church as an organic body. . 368 Necessity and advantages of pastoral visitation 368, 309 § 2. The Conversion of the Unregenerate, requiring Faithfulness in declaring the whole counsel of God 369 Discrimination in applying it to characters 370 Accompanying labors, conversations, and appeals 370 Both these objects are to be aimed at in conjunction, and continuously by means of wise plans and persevering zeal. 370 CHAPTER XVIT. PREACHING AS A MISSIONARY DUTY. Peculiarities of mission-work in foreign and domestic fields 373 § 1. Pastors should cultivate the Missionary Spirit, and put FORTH Missionary Efforts as they may have occasion AMONG Soldiers, Seamen, Prisoners, and other Neg- lected Classes 374 They should extend their labors to Neglected neighborhoods 375 Haunts of dissipation, streets, and market-places 375 Camp-meetings, etc 375 Biblical examples of outdoor preaching 375 Methodistic examples 375 § 2. Qualifications essential to Success 376 CHAPTER XVIH. PROPRIETIES AND VICES OF THE PULPIT. Necessity to ministers of an acute sense of propriety 378 § 1. Proprieties 378 Proprieties relating to individual conduct in the sacred desk 379 Auxiliary services of the pulpit 381 Ministerial courtesy 383 I 2. Vices of the Pulpit 386 Plagiarism: 1. Of sermons; 2. Of extracts; 3. Of plans; 4. By imitation 386-388 tJ: CONTENTS. Indolence of preparation Page 389 Starring, coarseness, vulgarity, etc 389, 390 Witticism. Authorities on the subject 391 The aflfectation of profundity 395 Tediousuess 396 CHAPTER XIX. rnE niTLOSOPHY of eloquence considered in refer- ence TO PKEACIIING. Intrinsic interest of the subject 397 § 1. Various Definitions of the Term 397 5 2. Analysis of the true Idea of Eloquence 400 Eloquence not a unit. It differs in kinds and degrees.. 401 § 3. The Term applied by eminence to the highest Degrees 403 Daniel Webster's explanation of eloquence 403 § 4. The Themes and Circumstances of the Preacher favorable TO THE attainment OF THE HIGHEST RESULTS OF ELOQUENCE. 404 CHAPTER XX. CONDITIONS AND ELEMENTS OF POWER IN THE PULPIT. 1. Strong conceptions of the magnitude and dignity of the preach- er's work 409 2. A love for his work 410 3. A manifestation of that love by zeal and faithfulness 411 4. Preaching must be the great business of life 411 5. The purpose and habit of making everything subservient to preaching 412 6. Discretion in the choice and adaptation of subjects 412 7. A liighcr aim than mere success 414 8. A holy life and influential example 414 9. The spirit and practice of deep devotion 414 10. The blessing and unction of the Holy Ghost 415 CHAPTER XXI. DIVINE ASSISTANCE IN PREACHING. Erroneous views. The true principle 411 S 1. The Nature of the Work renders Special Divine Assistancb PROBAI5LE 41lr It is God's work. It is great and diflficult. Man's unaided ability is inadequate to its right performance 417 I 2. The Scriptuijes make it certain that Divine Assistance will be given on appropblatk Conditions 418 Indirect promisca 419 CONTENTS. 15 Direct promises Page 419 Prayers lor aid 42\ Acknowledgements of aid 421 Other proofs that aid was given the apostles 421 I 3. The Expekience of Devout Ministers in all Ages snows THAT SIMILAR AlD TS NEEDED, MtX BE EXPECTED, AND SHOULD BE SOUGHT BY ALL WHO HOPE TO PrEACH THE GoSPEL EFFECT- IVELY 422 Point .of union between natural efforts and supernatural aid 424 CHAPTER XXir. PUBLIC PRAYER AS A BRANCH OF PULPIT SERVICE. Responsibility of ministers as to the right conduct of the devo- tions of the Sanctuary j^ 426 § 1. Certain Faults of Public Prayer 427 As to the use of the voice 427 As to matter 428 As to manner and spirit 428 As to language 429 Too great length. Attitude, gesture, etc 429 § 2. Qualities essential to Excellence 430 As to matter, spirit, and language 430 § 3. Means of attaining Excellence 431 Study of the nature and elements of prayer 431 Capacity to employ appropriate Scripture language 431 Deep personal piety cultivated by habitual private devtdtion. 433 Meditation and devotional composition 433 APPENDIX. A. BcnoLASTic Literature of Homiletics 437 B. The Modern Literature of Homiletics 439 Books in Latin 439 Books in English 440 Chronological list of authors on the subject of preaching .... 440 Pulpit helps 452 Note on published sermons 454 Note on clerical biography 456 Books in French 457 German authors 460 Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian authors 463 16 CONTENTS. c. SnniART OF THE VIEWS OF LEADINO DiVINES, AuTHORS, AUfTD Churches ox the Mode of Preaching with reference to Delivery Page 464 1 092. Bishop Burnet. Dr. Watts. Eichard Baxter 464-46S 1703. John Edwards 468 1731. Sir Richard Blackmore 468 17r>6. Dr. Doddridge .'. . 468 1758. John Lawson 468 1766. Arclibishop Seeker 469 1772. Thomas Gibbons 469 1770. George Campbell 470 1798. John Smith 470 Testimonies of the Nineteenth Century 471 Sidney Smith. Edward Everett 472, 473 The Church of England 473 Rev. D. Moore 473 The Independents of England 476 William Jay. Robert Vaughn. T. Wallace 476, 477 English Baptists 478 English Wesleyans , 478 The Free Scotch Church 479 American Churches 479 Unitarians 479 Congregational ists 479 Baptists 480 Dr. Wayland 480 Presbyterians, Old School 485 Resolutions of the General Assembly, with comments 485 Presbyterians, New School , . . . . 488 Dr. Skinner 488 Methodists 489 Extemporaneous delivery the general practice of powerful preachers 48ft D. ElAMPLE OF THE CLASSIFICATION AND PARAPHRASE OF ScRIPTUBB DNDER THE VARIOUS IIkaDS OF PraYER 490 Invocation 49O Adoration 49I Thanksgiving 49I Confession , , _ 492 Petition and supplication 493 Self-dedication 494 BlcBBing and 2)raiso , . . 494 A TREATISE ON HOMILETICS. CHAPTER I. THE PROPER CHARACTER OF HOMILETICS. §1. Explanation of Terms. The term Homiletics has been adopted in onr lan- guage as the only single word which embraces in its eigniiication all that relates to preaching, whether regarded as a science or an art. It is analogous to mathematics, optics, metaphysics, and other scientific ternis similarly derived from the Greek which, in the English language, take a plural form with a singular or integral signification. In the German the word HomUetil^ and in the French Ilomiletique^ alike derived from the Greek diM'A7]TLKog, and having precisely the same meaning af. onr word Homiletics, preserve the singular ending, as do lo2:ic and rhetoric in our lano'uas-e. 'J'he word dfUXoc, in classic Greek, signified a crowd or assembly of people, and in early Cln-istian usage it came to represent an assembly for worship. The corresponding verb, 6p/lew, signified to con- verse or communicate freely with individuals or assemblies. Hence the addresses most frequently made to Christian assemblies were denominated 2 18 ETYMOLOGY OF TERMS. binXlaL^ or ludiiilics. The same word was [promptly transferred to the Latin, becoming homilla^ and with scarcely any variation in form has been adcptiMj in all those modern langnages which have a C hi is- tian literatnre. The generic term homiletics is a „ ., ,. natural outi»:rowth of such a root. It Homiletics a ^ generic term, ^^.^g adoptcd cotcmporancously with n similar terminology of varicnis other sciences anci departments of science, and being closely identified with the history of preaching, is not likely to b( superseded. Eftbrts have been made to throw ridicule upon the term homiletics, and also upon the study of the sci ence which it indicates, in the idea that it necessa- rily involves stiff formalities and inflexible rules which tend rather to encumber than profit the preacher. Such efforts appear in their true light when we consider that no science should be dis- carded because it has been taught in an imperfect or mistaken manner. On this point, it may be re- marked that while the mistakes of science can hardly ever be greater than the errors of ignorance, yet the true office of science in this as in all other spheres is to correct mistakes by showing the reasons on which both right and wrong practice are based. While, therefore, the term homiletics is not to be discarded, yet its use need not be too frequent. Other teims, for the sake of variety and convenience, although not perfect synonj^ms, may often be used in its stead. Preaching, as one of the principal forms of Chris- tian address, and specially as the term most fre- queu'tly employed in our version of the Scriptures to indicate speech for evangelical purposes, is often used in a generic sense, on the principle of a PREACHING. 19 part representing the wliole. The word Terms used « preacli is derived from tlie Latin prcBco^ a e?'ea6'A is ktjpvoog)^ derived from nrjpv^, a herald or crier. This word signilies to proclaim publicly, as in Matt, x, 7 : "As ye ^o^ preachy saying. The kingdom of heaven is at hand ;" and in the twenty-seventh verse of the same chapter : " What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." In the New Testament KrjpvGOG) is used about sixty times, and fifty- four times is translated by the word preach. Another verb occasionally rendered preach is dia- "keyoiiat. It implies argumentation, and is often ren- dered reasoned or disputed. It is used in Acts xvii, 17 : "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with tlie devout persons, and in the market (or forum) daily with them that met with him." The same term is used in Acts xx to describe a Sab- bath discourse of the apostle at Troas, in which he preached to the disciples till midnight. This term is almost exclusively applied to the discourses of Paul. The only other Greek verb rendered^;';r^a(?A unto it the preaching that I bid thee." In this case the word has been rendered by KTjpvaao) in the Septuagint; according to which the meaning both of tlie original and the Greek trans- lation is equivalent to this: " Go proclaim the procla- mation which I command thee." Corresponding to the idea of a warning proclamation, Jonah's mes- sage when uttered was simply this: "He cried and said, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be over- thrown." The other Hebrew verb translated preach is ^isa^ hah-sar, signifying in Iial to be joyful, and in Piel to cheer with glad tidings. This word is employed in Psalm xl, 9, where David says, " I have preached righteousness in the great congregation ;" literally, I have home tidings of righteousness, etc. The same verb is also used three times by the Prophet Isaiali, for example, xl, 0 : " O Zion, that •THE TEACHING OFFICE OF JEWISH TKIESTS. 4:7 mingest good tidwgs.''^ Isaiah Hi, T : "How beantiful \ipon the mountains are the feet of him that h^ingdh good tidings^ that pnblishetli peace ; that bringeth good tidings of good." Isaiah Ixi, 1 : " The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto tlio meek." In all these examples the prophecies are Messianic and the ideas are evangelical ; hence we are not sur- prised to find them expressed in the Septuagint by the Greek word evayyeXi^u)^ so common in the Xew Testament and always associated with the Gospel message. T^HE TEACIIIXG OFFICE OF JEWISH PEIESTS. Under the Mosaic dispensation the law, and the ceremonies by which it was illustrated, -formed the principal agency of public instruction. So far as the Old Testament portrays to us the lives and engage- ments of Jewish priests we find them devoted to rit- chiefly occupied with sacrifices and ritual "*"^°^- ceremonies, with only occasional occupation as direct religious teachers. Nevertheless, so far as the teach- ing office belonged to the priesthood it is instructive in reference to the analogous duties of the Christian ministry. In Leviticus x, 8-11, abstinence from wine and strong drink was enjoined upon Aaron and his sons on penalty of death, for the following rea- ^^gtinence en- sons: "That ye may put difference be- •'°''''^**- tween holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean : and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses." That they were expected to teach these statutes by precept as well as by exam- ple may be fairly inferred. Thus we are taught that 4:8 EXAMPLE OF EZEA. temperance and purity are essential moral requisites of religious instructors. A singular instance of tlie teacliing office in the priesthood is recorded in 2 Kings xvii, 27, 28, where "the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence ; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them >iow they should fear the Lord." The result, as stated in the following verse, shows that no form of instruction is Forma powerless. t • i • i adequate to religious purposes whicli does not affect the heart and reform the life. " How- beit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made." At Hezekiah's passover, described in 2 Chron. xxx, the king " spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord," clearly dis- tinguishing between those who were faithful and the many who by their unfaithfulness had brought igno- rance upon the people and impending ruin upon the nation. On the restoration of the Jews after the Babylon- ish captivity special services were instituted for the instruction of the people in the law of the Lord. The eighth chapter of Nehemiah describes the occa- sion in full. The principal ftxcts were these: "All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water-gate." " And Ezra the priest brought the book of the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding." " A nd GIVIN"G THE SENSE. 49 he read tlierein from morning until midday, and tlio ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law." "And Ezra the scribe stood upon the pulpit of wood, which they had made for the pur- ^ 1 1 • 1 1 • ^1 • Primitive pulpit. pose," and beside lum stood various " priests and Levites who caused the people to under- stand the law." " So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." The eighth verse, last quoted, has been supposed to describe the origin of preaching from texts of Scripture. The more correct view of its meaning is this. The phrase " gave the sense " describes the necessary process of translation or para- phrase by which the old Hebrew of the law was rendered into Chaldee, or the mingled ver nacular which the Jews spoke after seventy years expatriation in Babylon. The priests and Levites who officiated on this occasion were readers of the law, and not preachers. ISTevertheless, their mode of causing the people to understand is highly illustrative of the duty of preachers under the Christian dispensation. 1, They read distinctly. 2. They gave the sense. 3. They caused the people to under- stand. From this analogous example it may be justly inferred that a good elocution, a capacity to expound the Scriptures, and also great perspicuity and force in communicating truth, are important to all preachers of the word. E"ot only the Hebrew of the Old Testament, but the Greek of the IN^ew, have long since ceased to be * Merely a platform to raise him sufficiently for tlie people to see and Vear him. 4 Elements of BTzoeess. 60 UNFAITHFULNESS OF JEWISH PRIESTS. Bpoken; but tlie duty of Christian ministers to read them intelligibly, to expound them correctly, and to impress tlie truths they contain upon the minds ot men in all nations of the earth, will ever remain in force. In the book of Jeremiah the term pastors is intro- Theeurseofun- 9 illustrations, lie asked tliem : " Have ye understood all these things? Tliey say unto liini, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe, which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." Matt, xiii, 51, 62. Attention to these words of our Lord will show that he contemplated, 1. The instruction of re- Essential quau- llgious teachers under the new dispensa- fie^ti^^s- tion. The term scribe, ypajifiarevgj implies a man of letters ; and fiaOrj-evOslgj rendered histructed^ implies systematic teaching, or a term of discipleship. 2. The instruction contemplated should be specific ; not merely general cultivation, but religious teaching in reference to the kingdom of heaven. 3. It should cover a familiar acquaintance with things that are old, as pertaining to former dispensations, and God's dealings with men in the past. But, 4. IS^o well-in- structed scribe or minister should content himself with any amount of knowledge of the past without also being able to bring forth new thoughts, and old facts and thoughts in new combinations. Thus it is that the kingdom of heaven is evergrow- ing, and developing new beauties to minds that are active and thoughtful. The householder of the text primarily represents the collector of coins, curiosities, or valuables of any description, which he treasures up to exhibit for the instruction or entertainment of his friends. In objects that are old an intrinsic interest exists, which nevertheless is greatly lieightened by comparison and contrast with what is new. So with respect to the treasures of knowledge, and especially with that relating to the kingdom of God on earth. Our Lord's teaching in this and many other exam- 60 OUR LORD'S TEACHING. The germs of P^^^ ^^^ Specially cliaracterized by con- truth. taining the germs or seeds of truth — the inherent capacity of future and inexhaustible devel- opment. Probably in their first utterance they com- municated all that the disciples were then capable o± comprehending. Nevertheless, he intimated that sub- sequently they would see in them a new and higher significance. (Mark iv, 33 ; John xiv, 25, 26.) Our Lord not only taught his disciples with refer- ence to preaching, but also as to the duty and mode of prayer :'^ subjects of great im- ])ortance for the minister of the Gospel in every I »eriod of the Church. As the events of our Lord's brief pilgrimage upon (jarth hastened to a conclusion the disciples were fur- ther enlightened by predictions concerning his impend- ing death and promised resurrection. (Matt, xvi, 21.) As these were to be the great themes of their future testimony, it was fitting that they should be prepared in advance to witness them with a just appreciation of their grave import. Coupled with the trials which were predicted as inseparable from discipleship in the coming scenes of persecution, was the promise of the Comforter (John xiv, IG, 17) to dwell in his disciples and abide with them forever. Apart from the consolation which this promise was calculated to give as an element of their religious experience, it could not fail to be full of en- couragement with reference to their great work as evangelists. Equally significant is the special prayer of Christ in behalf of liis disciples, recorded in John xvii, 6-26. Through all this memorable and afiecting prayer the idea of the special qualification of the disciples for * Matt. V, vi ; Luko xi, 1 ; xviii, 1. The Comforter. INSTRUCTIVE SCENES IN CHRIST'S LIFE. 61 manifesting the word of God to the world runs like a golden thread. The detail with which it is reported by the beloved John clearly proves the deep impres- sion it must have made npon his mind and tliat of his brethren. The fact also that the same aid and blessings supplicated for them were by special ap- propriation asked for their successors in the faith to the end of time, is full of encouragement to every Christian minister who has any just appreciation of the work to which he is called. The agony of the garden, the last supper, the arrest, the trial, and the crucifixion of our Lord, were also scenes in the education of his disciples which they could never forget. By those events they were prepared to appreciate more fully his , T ^ T , GethBemane. appearances among them alter his resur- rection from the dead, and the special teaching and commissioning which he had reserved for the period intervening between the resurrection and ascension. At that period his first object seems to have been to assure the disciples of his personal identit}^, and then to renew with special solemnity and authority his commission to them to preach the Gospel. In view of the great work to which they were now to be set apart, and as if to renew with undying power their recollection of his former instructions, "be- ginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded in all the Scriptures the things concern- ing himself." Luke xxiv, 27. That they might better comprehend the great theme of their future teaching " opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." Luke xxiv, 45. Following this, he enjoined " that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name 62 THE CtEEAt commission. among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke xxiv, 47. It was at this period that he interrogated Peter, ^'Lovest thou me?" and gave him as the test of this thrice asserted love tlie solemn commands, " Feed my lambs," " feed my sheep." Each one of the evangelists records in some form the great and crowning act of the final commission of the disciples, itself so important that the circum- stances, however impressive, were almost overshad- owed in the all-absorbing significance of the com- mission itself. Attention to the harmonized narrative- shows that this event occurred in the presence of " above five hundred brethren at once, who went out into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them." "Jesus came and spake unto them, saying. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. ""^ Our Lord's parting blessing upon the disciples at the ascension fitly closed the course of his personal instructions, designed to qualify them for the great task of preaching the Gospel. For the Importance of benefit of succeediuo^ preachers to the end Christ's teach- . t i ^ inga. 01 tnne these outhnes and indices ol the homiletical instructions of Christ have been placed upon record b}^ the pen of inspiration. Whatever else may receive the attention of candidates for the Bacred ofiice, these should be studied with careful anxiety and a teachable spirit. * See also 1 Cor. xv, 6; Matt, xxviii, 17-20; Acts i, 7; x, 42. christ's example. 63 § 7. The Example of Christ as a Preacher. The Saviour of tlio world miglit liave founded preaching as an institution of the Cliurch, and have commissioned preachers without having preached at all himself. But it entered into his plans of wisdom and benevolence to be himself the great preacher, an example, in many senses, of what all liis minis- terial servants should both be and do to the end of time. It is obvious that, in several points, he was above the imitation even of the apostles. In all that relates to his divine character he is to be admired and adored rather than imitated. In this t« =.„,« ,..=r^.«i. In some respects light we are to regard, 1. The authority ^^"""^ imitation, with which he taught. With him, although he ap- peared in the form of a servant, authority was orig- inal and supreme. With his apostles and ministers it is only delegated. Even the former, although inspired, conld only teach in the name of Jesus. 2. His miraculous power. To a limited extent this power was delegated to the apostles ; but subse- quently an appeal to Christ's miracles was all that was permitted to Christian teachers. Passing over such manifestations of divinity as are beyond the reach of our low estate, we come to a wide field in which the example of Christ is fully open to our imitation ; in which, indeed, it was specially given that we might walk in his steps. CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRIST'S PREACHING. In seeking to delineate the characteristics of Christ's preaching, one is at a loss where to begin or to end. Nevertheless, a few points may be noted as of obvious importance. 64 INSTEUCTIVENESS — ADAPTATION. INSTE tJCTI VENE S S . A high degree of instructweness characterizea his discourses. " He taught the people.''^ " He was a teacher sent from God," and he was ever about his Father's business. He specially exemplified his own illustration of the householder bringing forth ''things new and old." He taught old truths in new forms, and new truths in the light of old institutions and analogies. At this point every preacher should imi- tate the Master. 1. He should have the material of instruction in his mind and heart. He cannot teach what he does not know. 2. He should be diligent and tireless in seeking to communicate knowledge. At this point another branch of Christ's example challenges our imitation. He taught from the Scrip- tures. He not only repeatedly quoted the Jewish Scriptures and commented on their words as those of divine truth, but he went into the synagogues on the Sabbath-day and publicly read and expounded the law and the prophets. A striking example of " his custom " in this respect is recorded in Luke iv, 16-28, in which he took as the subject of his dis- course the first verse of the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah. ADAPTATION. Adaptation was a striking feature of our. Lord's preaching. His preaching was adapted alike to tlie times and circumstances, and to the individuals and communities among whom he ministered. This re- mark applies both to the state of the world at the period of our Lord's advent, and also to the particular condition of the Jewish nation and of the sects into which it was divided. Whoever attentively per^ises VAlilETY. 65 the Gospel history will perceive that his various dis- courses were perfectly adapted to the wants and capacities of his hearers. In verification of these views the student is referred to the following remarks and discourses mustrative ex- of our Lord, wdiicli severally deserve ^p^®^- careful scrutiny with reference to the point in dicated. 1. His address to the Samaritan woman. John iv, 7-42. 2. To Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. John iii, 1-21. 3. To the Syrophenician woman. Matt, xv, 22-28. 4. His Sermon to the multitude on the Mount. Matt. V, vi, vii. 5. In the synagogue at Capernaum. John vi, 25-65 6. To his persecutors. John v, 19-47. 7. Various addresses to the Pharisees. Matt, xii, 1-8 ; xxiii, 2-37 ; Luke xiv, 1-15 ; John ix, 13-40. 8. To the Sadducees. Matt, xxii, 23-33. 9. To the chief priests and elders in the temple. Matt, xxi, 23-45. 10. At the house of Zaccheus. Luke xix, 2-10. 11. To the disciples on the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world. Matt, xxiv, xxv. VARIETY . Christ's preaching was characterized by variety. "We may first note the variety of places in which our Lord uttered his discourses. He not only preached in the temple and the synagogue, but also in the market-place, by the wayside and the waterside, on the mountain, in the private house, and at th6 public feast. His example in this respect should mstruct his ministers to sow beside all waters, 5 66 ILLUSTRATIVENESS. and to be ready in all places to declare the wonderful works of God. Variety of sicbject was equally characteristic of our Lord's preaching. While one great theme pervaded it, and while it tended to one great object, the topics it suggested and discussed were numerous. What interest of humanity, or what attri- bute of God, was not directly or indirectly treated by the great Preacher ? Here, too, is instruction for us. We must not tire our hearers with the re^^etition of even sacred truth, reiterated perpetually in the same forms and connections. We must see in the vastness and variety of material creation an index to the still wider variety of revealed truth. ILLUSTRATIVENESS. The illustrativeness of Christ's preaching is a special characteristic in respect to manner. This feature stands out prominent in the teaching and preaching of Christ to a degree un equaled in any other high example of secular or religious oratory. ISTot only did Christ abstain from uttering truth in an abstract form ; not only did he clothe great truths and principles with flesh and blood, and fill them with active life, but he made, as it were, every ele- ment of creation subservient to the elucidation and support of the truth he uttered. The sun, the moon, and stars ; the air and the water ; Range of iiius- hg^it aud darkucss ; the grass and tlie trationa. y^^^^ ^f ^\^q ^q\^ . ^i^q ^^rcs aud the wheat ; the sower and the plowman ; the sheep, the goats, and the shepherd ; the husbandman and the vine ; the birds of the air, the foxes of the desert, the judge and the widow, the child and the angel, things past, things present, and things to come, were alike made to elu- DIRECTNESS. 67 cidate the subjects of liis discourse and his aims as a preaclier. These varied and interesting topics were not introduced to amnse, nor merely to entertain his hearers ; neither were they dwelt upon nnduly nor for the mere ornamentation of discourse, but rather for the intrinsic purpose of a graphic delineation and a lively presentation of truth before the minds of his hearers. In this view they admirably sub- T -, . T . , T . ^ Advantages. served, nis objects and aims as a preacher ^n several important particulars, for example : 1. By gaining and fixing the attention of his hearers. 2. By stimulating their thoughtfulness. 3. By aiding their comprehension. 4. By assisting their memory. If Christian ministers more closely followed Christ in the appropriate and lively illustration of their dis- courses there would be fewer uninteresting and tedi- ous sermons, and the Gospel would be commended with more attractiveness and power to the hearts of men. DIRECT]S^ESS. Another characteristic of Christ's preaching was its directness or point. In a few instances he appears to have employed parables rather for the purpose of exciting further inquiry than of making a perfect explanation at first ; but in general his teachings were not only perspicuous, but palpable. His addresses neither contained vague generalities nor ambiguous allusions. They left no one in doubt as to their meaning or their application. They were generally direct and personal, whether to disciples or rulers, scribes, Pharisees, or hypocrites. This directness contributed greatly to the energy of our Lord's discourse. It was imitated by the 68 APOSTOLIC EXAMPLE. apostles, who used "great plainness of speech," and may be fitly regarded as an example for Christian ministers at all times in opposition to the wordj mazes of professional rhetoric. The student of homiletics should direct his careful and interested attention to the above-named and other characteristics of Christ's preaching as de- veloped in the Gospels. § 8. The Examples and Precepts of the Apostles, Following the ascension of the risen Saviour, the apostles became the highest examples of what preach- ers ought to be and to do. IN'otwithstanding all that had been secured for them by the privilege of being with Christ and learning of him, they still needed to "be endued with power from on high.""^ That glorious gift was imparted to them by the descent of the Holy Spirit at the Pentecost. From that memorable occasion the tongue of fire became the emblem of the aggressive power of Christian- ity. Then from Jerusalem, as a radiating center, the apostolic work of preaching the Gospel began its outward course toward " the uttermost parts of the earth." In the apostolic example we have the exact coun- terpart of the Saviour's instructions, and by it we are clearly taught that a special call, a divine commis- sion, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost are essential prerequisites to preaching the Gospel with apostolic power. In respect to the personal labors of the apostles as preachers we may be profited by considering, 1. Their prompt and tireless activity; 2. The varied circum- * Luke xxiv, 49 ; Acts i. 4-8. APOSTOLIC EXAMPLE. 69 stances of their preacliiiig ; 3. The tliemes and char- acter of their discourses. 1. If by any it should be imagined that the apos- tles would pause, after the ascent of their . Promptness. divme Lord, to compose elaborate dis- courses to be read under favorable circumstances to attentive or admii'ing audiences, attention to the scenes in which they acted will correct the error. No sooner had they received the gift of the Holy Ghost than "they all began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance." Peter's sermon, so far from being the only one publicly delivered on that occa sion, is to be regarded as a sample of the discourses uttered by the apostles individually to the crowds which surrounded them. The conversion and bap- tism of three thousand in the same day cannot other- wise be accounted for. When the zeal of Peter and John, preaching in the temple, was rewarded by their arrest and . . ' „ , , Perseverance. examination berore the rulers and elders, they were dismissed with the stern command not to " speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus." Acts iv, IS. Nevertheless, judging it right to hearken to God rather than men, they returned at once to their proper work and " spake the word of God with bold- ness." Acts V, 31. Their next interruption was fol- lowed by confinement "in the common prison." " But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said. Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught." Acts V, 19, 20. On their next arraignment their accusation was: "Behold, ye have filled Jeru- ealem with your doctrine." Acts v, 28. For this thi^ 70 PEEACHING THE WORD. were beaten, and again "commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus." J^ot withstanding all they returned to the work whereunto they were appointed, " and daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." It is important to observe that in all these accounts of the early oppositions encountered by Persistent speech. i i -» the apostles, the great source of trial to the high priests and elders was that they wovld speak. If they had only kept silence they would have been tolerated. The influence of their example was not feared ; their prayers even might have been endured ; but when they spoke or preached the Sanhedrim trembled ; when even the humble and holy Stephen opened his mouth "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake." Acts vi, 10. When at length, by the murder of Stephen and the cruel persecution which it inaugurated, the disciples were absolutely driven out of Jerusalem, so far fro-m keeping silence or awaiting a more favorable oppor- tunity, "they went everywhere preaching Jblie word." This brief phrase may be taken as the rule of their action ever afterward, whether in Judea and among the villages of the Samaritans, or in tlie surrounding countries when they turned to the Gentiles. The lesson to be derived from the prompt and tire- less labors of the apostles as preachers, is ^^°''' that those who would follow their example should be ready on all occasions to preach the word however sudden the emergency, however severe the opposition. universality of 2. Thc duty of bciug prepared and their labors, filling to prcach the Gospel in ^W places CHRIST THEIR THEME. 71 Is equally taught by a consideration of the varied circumstances in wliicli the apostles preached. 'No fastidious notions of the convenience or dignity of the pulpit (a wholly unapostolic institution) limited their efforts. Like their divine Master, they seized upon every fitting, not to say possible occasion to declare Christ and his Gospel to their fellow-men. In the passages already cited we have seen them preaching in the temple and in private houses. In repeated instances they uttered their testimony be- fore public tribunals, both Jewish and Roman."^ In one instance by the wayside, and to a single hearer, Philip preached with immediate effect. The Jewish synagogues were favorite places in w^hich to exhibit to their countrymen the hope of Israel, and they successively preached in the synagogues at Damascus, at Antioch, at Thes- salonica, at Corinth, and at Ephesus.f The prison at Philippi witnessed effective preaching from Paul and Silas.:}: Paul also declared the Gospel in the Areopagus at Athens and in the school of Tyrannus at Ephesus.§ He also proclaimed the truth from the stairs of the castle at Jerusalem, on board ship, and, finally, in his own hired house at Pome. 3. Christ was the great theme of apostolic preach- ing. Isot only did the apostles set forth ^1 j» i 1 T 1 /-NT . -1 CliriBt aU in all, the tact that Jesus was the Christ, but they proclaimed him in all his ofiices. They preached Christ crucified, Christ a risen Saviour, and through Ciirist the resurrection of the dead. They also set forth Christ as having power to forgive sins, as the Lord of all, and as the Judge of quick and dead; * Acta vi, 12 ; xxiii, 1 ; xxiv, 10 ; xxvi, 1. t Acts ix, 20 ; xiii, 5, 16 ; xvii, 2 ; xviii, 4 ; xix, 1, 8. X Acts xvi, 31. S Acts xvli. 19. 22 : xix. 9 : ^Zy 31 ; szi, 40 ; zivli ; xxv^iii, 31* 72 APOSTOLIC PEEACHING. Christ tlius preached was the Gospel of the Son of God. Through him peace was oifered " to them that were afar oftV Auxiliary to their grand theme, righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come were topics on which their discourses fitly turned. As to the literary character of the apostolic preaching, we are authorized to say that it was " not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demon- striition of the spirit and of power." It blended logical argument with earnest and powerful entreaty. As to its moral character, it was urgent Cliaraeteristies. . i • i i • x With tnnely and earnest warnmgs. it was also faithful, declaring the whole counsel of God. Again, not relying upon mere argumentation, it abounded in historical statements and illustrations. Finally, it was skillfully adapted to all classes of hearers, whether Jews or Greeks, barbarians, Scyth- ians, bond or free. The inspired pen has placed on record examples of apostolical preaching in sufficient fullness to justify these remarks, and our careful study of the examples themselves. Observe Peter's sermon at the Pentecost, Acts ii, 14-40 ; Stephen's address before the council, vii, 2-56 ; Paul's sermon at Antioch, xiii, 14-46 ; Paul's address on Mars' Hill, xvii, 22-31 ; his address to the multitude at Jerusa- lem, xxii, 1-22 ; and his defense before Agrippa, xxvi, 1-28. In the preaching of the apostles we have a prac- tical comment on the homiletical teachings of our Lord himself. In their course we may discern a ]iappy conformity both to the precepts and example of Christ, coupled with the utmost freedom as it respects the personal characteristics of the several preachers. It was no part of our Lord's design that all preaching should be cast THE APOSTLES TAUGHT THEIR SUCCESSORS. 73 in a fixed mould, but rather that all the varied powers of his difierent disciples should be developed m such a manner as to provide for the varied wants of men. Hence we find that the impulsive eagerness of Peter, the melting tenderness of Stephen, the flaming zeal of Philip, the powerful reasoning of Paul, the silver accents of Apollos, the patriarchal wisdom of James, and the loving gentleness of John, eacli had their sphere of action, and result in the propagation of a common Gospel. So it will ever be in the history of the Church. Diversified talents, consecrated to a single purpose, and developed by a similar training in the light of common examples, and yet left free to individual modes of action, will answer in the highest degree the purposes of the Gospel ministry. Those purposes are illustrated in some of the prominent results of apostolic preaching Of these it is proper to name, 1. The conversion of unbelievers, both Jews and Gentiles. In this we may perceive the designed effect of the Gospel on individuals. 2. The establishment and edification of Churches, illustrating the provisions of the Gospel for communities. 3. The overthrow of idolatry, foreshadowing the effect of truth upon all systems of error. 4. The training of future evan- gelists. It is specially interesting to observe the apostles in tlieir office of instructors to the preachers who were to enter upon their labors. The leading apos- tles associated with themselves, in their pastoral and missionary tours, younger brethren, who became at once learners and assistants in the work of preaching. Thus Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Titus, and others were successively the pupils and associates of Paul. Practical resTilts. 74 THE PASTORAL EPISTLES. Wlien they had made due proficiencvj and attained proper ex]3erience, they were not only commissioned as evangelists, but also to teach and commission other evangelists "to commit the things they had heard from the apostles to faithful men, who should be able to teach others also." 2 Tim. ii, 2. Thus it was designed that apostolic precept and example should descend to influence the preaching of successive generations. Happily those precepts were not all oral. A valuable series of them has been placed upon the inspired record, together with various remarks and allusions in the other epistles bearing more or less directly upon the same subject. To the three epistles addressed by Paul to his sons in the Gospel, Timothy and Titus, the true Christian minister must ever turn with special interest for hints and instructions with reference to every depart- ment of his sacred duties. In the writings of St. Paul, preaching stands forth as the grand idea of his life, illustrated in all his words and actions. But in the Epistles to Timothy it becomes the subject of most frequent reference and of solemn appeal. Let the homiletical student be diligent in search- ing out instruction from the life and writings of the OTeat apostle to the Gentiles ; and espe- Example of Paul. . n i , i . , . . -, cially let him ever bear m mmd, as addressed to himself, the concluding exhortation of Paul to Timothy : " I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom ; preach the word ; be instant in season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-sufiering and doctrine." " Watch thou in all things, endure afilic- tions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." 2 Tim. iv, 1, 2, 5. LITERATURE OF HOMILETICS. 75 CHAPTER HI. SOURCES AND MATERIALS OF HOMILETICAL SCIENCE CONTINUED. PATRISTIC-SCHOLASTIC- MODERN. §1. Pateistic Literatuee of Homiletics. In passing from the period of tlie apostles to that of the Church fathers, Ave need not be surprised at finding a very noticeable decline in the value of the materials of every description furnished to the homi- letical student. The contrast between inspired liter- ature and that which is uninspired is hardly greater than prevails here. JSTevertlieless, w^e see the prog- ress of the Church amid oppositions which would have crushed out any human institution, and we know the motive power which had been divinely appointed to urge it onward. From the days of the apostles there was a succession of faithful preachers, of whom the greater number have their only record on high. At this distance of time we can only take observation of those who are represented to a greater or less extent in the literary remains of their several ages. Such remains for the first three centuries are scanty at most, and it is not stransre T n •, ^ ' . c t 1 Scanty materiaL that we nnd the writmgs oi the early fathers more occupied with the moral than the scho- lastic precepts which were appropriate for Christian and ministerial instruction. Articles of the latter class, which bear at least indirectly upon the duties of the preacher, have descended to us from Clemens 70 LEADING BATHERS. Romamis, Ignatius, and Dionysius, of the first cen- tury; Anicetus of tlie second, and Cyprian of the third. It was not, however, till the Church had passed through her severest persecutions that she entered upon what has been denominated her orator- ical period, about the beginning of the fourth century. Then followed the labors of Ambrose, of Basil, of the Gregories, of Chrysostom and Augustine, the most distinguished preachers of the early ages of the Church. From the fathers named, and also from Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius, Jerome, Cyril of Alexandria, and several others, various discourses and homilies have descended to the present time. But the only authors of the Patristic Age who made di- rect contributions to the literature of homiletics are Chrysostom and Augustine, representing respectively the Greek and the Latin Churches. The fame of Chrysostom, the golden-mouthed preacher of Antioch and Constantinople, has been scarcely less diffused than that of Demosthenes himself. It is peculiarly gratify- ing, therefore, that we have extant a work from the pen of Chrysostom entitled Uepl ^spoavvrjg; or, Concerning the Priesthood. De SaGerdotio, the Latin title, is more frequently quoted than the Greek. The following abstract of the subjects of chapters will indicate the parts of the work of greatest value to the student of preaching. Indeed, they of them- selves form a series of useful precepts worth attention in modern days. CIIRYSOSTOil'S PRECEPTS. Book Hi, clmp. 12. A pi-icst ought to be very wise (or learned.) Book iv, chap. 3. A ready faculty of speaking, essential to a priest (or minister.) CHRYSOSTOM'S PRECEPTS. 77 Book iv, chap. 4. IIg should he thoroughly versed in the con- troversies of the Greeks and the Jews. Book iv, chap. 5. He should also be skilled in dialectics. Book iv, chap. 6. The blessed Paul excelled in that faculty. Book iv, chap. 7. The same was not only renowned in won- derful deeds, but also in the art of speaking. Book V, chap. 1. Much labor and study should be practiced bj those who would speak with effect to the people. Book V, chap. 2. Those who are devoted to their work should despise human praise, and seek to become skillful in s[)eaking. Book V, chap. 6. All sermons should be moulded by judgment and study as a means of pleasing God the more. This treatise of Chrjsostom was written at an early period of liis ministry, and may be fairly snpposed to contain the precepts by which his life and habits as a preacher were governed. 'No preacher of the early Church was more largely gifted with the genius of oratory than he ; no one was more thoroughly trained in accordance with the best models of the Greek schools, and yet he neither relied on his genius nor his training, but devoted himself with diligent and self-denying application to the task of preparation for his public ministry. His preaching drew and enraptured throngs of people, and yet, so far as we can judge from the numerous homilies reported in his works, it was plain and unostentatious; indeed, familiar and often homely in its phraseology in adaptation to the comprehension of the masses, yet always abounding in interesting and practical thoughts. His style is characterized by a pro- fusion of figures and illustrations by which the most familiar topics are made instruct- ive, and the most abstruse familiar. A large por- tion of the homilies of Chrysostom are consecutive expositions of Scripture. As a whole, the discourses of this father will better repay 78 AUGUSTINE'S TEEATISES. careful study than any other similar remains of the Patristic Age. "While Chrysostom's treatise on the priesthood rep- resents the preceptive literature of the Greek Church, two essays from the pen of Augustine hold a similar relation to the Latin Church. Augustine before his conversion was a teacher of rhetoric, and as he be- came a voluminous writer in the interest of Chris- tianity it was but natural that he should treat upon the great work of Christian ministers. Accordingly, we find direct reference to it primarily in his tract en- titled De Doctnna Christiana^ concerning Christian Teaching ; and more briefly in that entitled De Gate- chizandis Eudibus, on Catechizing the Ignorant. The first three books on Christian teaching are en- Doetrina ciiriB- titled De Invcnieiido^ on Invention, or the tiana. modc of ascertaining what should be taught. The fourth book is entitled De Proferendo, on Utterance, or setting forth. This only has special interest for the modern student of homiletics, but this is of so much importance as to deserve presenta- tion in the form of a condensed abstract of all its essential points."^ summary of augustine's views ox utterance, (preaching.) § 1. None are to expect in this connection mere precepts of rhetoric. § 2. Yet rhetoric is useful, and should be enlisted in behalf of the truth. § 3. The art of rhetoric should be acquired in youth, and ohiefly by hearing good models. The study of ecclesiastical lit- erature is of great benefit. It may make men able to speak we'L But if not, it may do better and cause them to act well. § 4. The preacher, tlierofore, as a chami)ion of the true faith * This abstract is abridged from that of Moule. AUGUSTINE'S PRECEPTS. 79 and an opponent of error, slionld bend all his eflbrts to teaching good and unteaching evil. To this end he may employ varioug styles of address: for example, narrative, entreaty, rebuke, and appeal, according as the hearer is to be instructed, or roused to a practical sense of w^hat he knows already. § 5. It is far better to speak wisely than eloquently. And a man is said to speak with more or less of true knowledge as he has made a greater or less advance in the study of the Scriptures. This Scripture knowledge may go a great way as a substitute for artistic eloquence. But a union of the two is preferable. § 6. The Scriptures exhibit an eloquence of their own as truly suited to their character as a young man's talk is suited to youtii, and an old man's to age. So perfect is the congruity in passages recognized as eloquent, that the words seem less to have been chosen by the author than to have belonged by a kind of neces- sity to the subject. § 7. An examination of such passages of Scripture as Romans V, 3 ; 2 Cor. xi, 16; Amos vi, 1, prove the congruity above named, and illustrate the union between true knowledge and eloquence. § 8. Obscure parts of Scripture are not to be imitated by min- isters. Perspicuity is to be the aim of him who would preach well. § 9. Intricate points not suitable to public assemblies may be expounded in private, provided that clearness, not artistic merit, be regarded in the exposition. § 10. The idea of clearness expanded in a series of practical remarks, the substance of which is that he is the best preacher who provides that his hearers hear the truth, and that what they hear they understand. § 11. The province of didactic eloquence is to bring to light what is hidden. Still some intellectual food mast be served up with spices, §§ 12, 13. Comment on Cicero's motto, "Convince the judg- ment, please the understanding, and bend the will," showing that the preacher's victory consists in bending the hearer to action. § 14. Attractiveness in preaching must always be tempered, 1. By sound doctrine; and, 2. By gravity. § 15. It is more by the Christian fervor of his sermons than by any endowment of his intellect that the minister must hope to Inform the understanding, catch the affections, and bend tlie 80 AUGUSTINE — JEKOME. will of his hearers. The Holy Spirit, promised to those who for Christ's sake were delivered over to persecution, (Matt, x, 19,) will not be withheld from those who are preaching Christ. § 16. Nothing, however, is more unwise in itself, and more alien to the spirit and letter of the divine economy, than to sup pose that the gifts of the Spirit justify us in relaxing our own efforts. The next ten sections of the book are chiefly devoted to dis- tinctions between three kindi of style, namely: 1. The low and gentle; 2. The even and regulated ; 3. Tlie lofty and impressive. Examples illustrative of these different styles are adduced from the Scriptures, and from Ambrose and Cyprian. These styles are shown to be closely related to each other, and to be means to a common end, namely, persuasion of the right. Finally, Augustine asserts that more important than anything else is the life of the preacher, and no rules of art will ever have the least chance of supplying the void which must result from an unsoundness in that. Moreover, prayer must not be forgotten. Did Esther pray for fitting words in her address to the king regarding the temporal safety of her people, and shall we neglect to do the same when the eternal welfare of mankind is at stake? Augustine's tract on catecliizing the ignorant waa addressed to Deogratias, a deacon at Car- thage. A considerable portion of it is com- posed of two specimen sermons. Although the remainder abounds with instructive and characteristic passages, yet they may rather be considered as con- firming the positions quoted above than adding any- thing to them of great importance. One of Jerome's letters, addressed to ITepotian, contains a bare allusion to the subject of preaching. Besides this, although several works relating to the priesthood appeared between the fourth and eighth centuries, there is nothing more of any value in ref- erence to the theory of preaching in all the literature of the ancient Church. Chrysostom and Augustine have therefore stood forth to all after aces as the fllSE OF SCnOLASTICISM. 81 cliief and almost sole representatives of the fathers in reference to tliis subject. As sncli tliey have been freely quoted. Augustine especially has been re- garded as the great authority by Konian Catholic authors, several of whom, such as Fenelon, Hapin, and RoUin, enjoy high consideration among Protestants. § 2. Scholastic Literature of IIomiletics. After Augustine there followed an interval ot seven hundred years without a single work of a homi letical character, at least that has come down to modern times. During the dreary centuries that fol- lowed the corruption, of the Church and the decline of preaching, a few works on the priesthood were issued, chiefly manuals of common duties, in which preaching was practically ignored. In the eleventh century a slight intellectual movement commenced, which resulted in a style of thought and philosophy since known as scholasticism, from the schools in which it was taught. Scholasticism was characterized by the endeavor to reduce theology, then but a series of traditional dogmas, to a rigid and formal system. It employed as its cliief agency the dialectics of Aristotle. It extended from about 1075 to the middle of the fourteenth century, and passed through three distinct periods, which have been denominated suc- cessively, 1. The Dialectic and Ecclesiastic; 2. The Dialectic and Mystic ; 3. The Biblical and Dialectic. Scholasticism at length declined under the preliminary ao-encies of the Keformation ; but notwithstandino; the decline of its authority as a religious and philosophi- cal system, its influence was felt upon the literature of succeeding ages. This infl!ience is clearly traceable in the homiletical writino;s of the twelfth and six- tecnth centuries inclusive, and to some extent even 82 PERIODS OF SCHOLASTICISM. later. Hence tlie adoption in this connection of the term scholastic rather than medieval, since it is designed to embrace in one classification books of a particular type, although some of them appeared within the period nsnallj denominated modern. But few of the works of the scholastic period are now accessible, hence it is deemed proper to present to the student in the Appendix^ such a notice or abstract of each one as will enable him to judge of its char- acter and value. One principal eifect of scholasticism upon homilet- ics was the introduction into religious discourse of scientific formalities consisting, of minute divisions and subdivisions. It is, however, to be confessed that the sermons of that period do not exhibit their use to so great a degree as those of later times, especially those of the Eno-lish Puritans and the German hom- ilists. Another result was closer attention to the precepts of the ancient rhetoricians, which, while it had a tendency to polish style, nevertheless secularized preaching by making it little more than a rhetoi'ical exercise. § 3. Modern Literature of Homiletics. The last two centuries and a half have produced more valuable materials for homiletical students than the fifteen centuries preceding. This remark is ap- plicable to every branch of study appropriate to the Christian minister. It embraces biblical criticism, systematic theology, the propagation of the Gospel by various agencies, clerical biography and published sermons, as well as direct authorshi]^ relating to the theory and practice of preaching. * Appendix A. MODERN HOMILETICAL LITERATURE. 83 As tlie latter tlieine of itself requires a much greater space than the present parao-raph ,, -^ . p ^ . T ° ^. A prolific themes can allot to it, reference is made to arti- cle B of the Appendix, where the student will finci a list of authors and books which will indicate to him the extent and value of the modern literature of hem- iletics, not only in the English, but also in other lan- guages. The following general statements deserve to be borne in mind : 1. As the evangelical idea of preach- ing has been restored to the Church, , ,, ,. , , Developments. works on the subject have been multiplied. 2. The revival of true religion and that of correct theories and practice in preaching have to a large extent been reciprocal. 3. The tendency of discus- sion and investigation in reference to this subject has been to secure a higher recognition of the validity of Scripture precepts and example, and consequently an improvement in the general character of preach- ing, by a return to its apostolical simplicity and power. 4. A comprehensive acquaintance with the best writers on this subject is extremely desirable to preachers. It tends to satisfy a reasonable curiosity on a subject of intrinsic importance; it points out ilie most profitable sources of improve- aient ; it tends to enlarge the views of the reader, to stimulate diligence, to correct errors, and to suggest modes of improved and increasing useful- ness. Ministers, like other men, need line upon line and precept upon precept, and these works often sup- ply hints of the largest practical value. RELATIVE VALUE. In connection with the present topic some further remarks are in place concerning the relative vaiue of 84: COMPARATIVE VALUE, the honiiletical literature of tlie different periodb. Obviously tliat of tJie brief period illuminated by inspiration must ever remain tlie most instructive and authoritative to all who would understand the subject in the li2:ht of God's will. Some would place next if not foremost in import- ance the example and precepts of the fathers. The error of such is obvious from various facts : 1. Our records of the early portion of the patristic era, when example was most authoritative, are extremely im- perfect. 2. Notwithstanding all the splendor with which historians have sought to invest the oratorical period of the early Church, it is easy to discover amid great external prosperity the commencement and progress of that decline • in spirituality which subsequently manifested itself in the complete subordination of preaching to ceremonial observances. 3. Although the treatises of Chrysostom and Au- gustine are to be prized for their intrinsic value, yet from their brevity and incompleteness they are prac- tically inferior to various works of modern times. Medieval literature has found some eulogists ; but the common sense of mankind will place it in a rank far below even the patristic. Modern homiletical literature now comes into view- as next in importance to biblical. It indeed em- braces much that is trivial and repetitious, but with Bome dross it contains no little pure gold. The l)est modern treatises on preaching have partaken of the vitality and power which, since the days of the llef- ormation, have in a greater degree pervaded preach- ing itself and brought it back to its original design and dignity. Besides, they have been enriched with the influence of the increasing knowledge of mauj BIBLICAL AND MODERN MOST VALUABLE. 85 kind, and by the cumulative advantages of multiplied experiment in the propagation of the Gospel, from which are deduced both principles and rules of prac- tice adapted to the guidance of thoughtful men in the present age of the world. Fortunately those branches of homiletical literature which are of greatest value, both the biblical and the modern, are quite accessible; and while it is interest- ing to consult as far as we may be able the literature of other periods, it is both practicable and important to be well versed in that of our own day as well as in what comes to us from the days of the Saviour and his apostles. § 4. Other Sources of Homiletical Instruction. PUBLISHED SERMOXS. An obvious distinction exists between works on preaching (homiletics proper) and those which have resulted from preaching as its products (sermon- ology.) The former only have been referred to in the foregoing sections, including, of course, such ser- mons as relate specifically to the work of preaching. Apart from the comparatively few of this class, printed homilies and sermons constitute a vast body of theological literature. While in its original and complete sense a sermon cannot be printed, since nothing is strictly a sermon or speech which is not spoken, yet usage allows us to call that a sermon which has been written for deliv- ery as a r(?ligious discourse, or which has been re- ported from the lips of a preacher. Of such value indeed is the preserving power of letters, that next to the living voice of the speaker we prize the record of his words. Moreover, letters ffive this advantage, that 86 VALUE OF PUBLISHED SERMONS. wliereas we may hear the speaker but once, and in the public congregation, we may have the record of his words to read in private and to reperuse in follow- ing years. It must also be conceded that the structure and Value of pub- matter of a sermon may be better analyzed lished sermons, through the mcdium of the eye than of the ear, however the lack of delivery may weaken the power of its impression. It certainly is a source of peculiar satisfaction that in our homiletical studies we can have access to the record of sermons which represent every age of the Church and most of the distinguished preachers that have adorned its annals. Published sermons may be studied for the sake of the truth they contain, and also with ref- Truth. and style. *^ ^ . t • -i i . , j_i • erence to the style m wiiicli that trutli is communicated. For the latter object the perusal of sermons need not be extensive, and yet few liberal- minded preachers would not prize the opportunity of investigating to a greater or less extent the sermon- ology of ancient and medieval as well as of modern times. From this point the topic under consideration coincides, in a great degree, with the two that follow. iriNISTEKIAL BIOGE.VPHY. A special interest attaches to the life of a great or a good preacher. From a proper delineation of his Christian character, his modes and extent Qf study, his style of preparation for the pulpit, his deliveiy, and the effects of his preaching, we learn by example what we ouo-ht to be or to do ourselves. If he has committed errors or suffered faihires, we can note their causes and avoid them ; and wlierein he has had special success, we can learn to profit by his experi- ence. While it may not be essential for the homilet- THE APOSTLES AND FATHEES. 87 ical student to pursue in advance any extended course of biograpliical reading, yet it will be advan- tageous to liini at every period of life to commune with those who have gone before him in the career of ministerial usefulness. It will be a profitable task for him to analyze from Scripture data tlie character and the pe- T . /» 1 n 1 1 ^^® apostles. culiar gilts and graces oi the several apos- tles. He may in the historical remains of the early Church find fragments that will throw light upon the preaching of the first three centuries. In reference to this period of ecclesiastical his- tory, it is interesting to compare with the personal character of such fathers as Clement of Rome, Igna- tius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, and Irenseus, the frag- ments of their writings and discourses which have come down to iis. In respect to the fathers of the third and fourth centuries, materials of both kinds are abundant; and it is instructive to compare the lives and the discourses of such preachers as Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius, the Gregories, Basil, Ambrose, and Jerome, as w^ell as of Chrysostom and Augustine. In most if not all these cases we are to understand that the sermons and homilies of the fa- thers are less their own writings than the accepted reports of then- discourses, which were taken down by ready writers from their lips, and copied and passed about for reading by those who were interested in their preservation. Between the fifth century and the Reformation the annals of the Church furnish fewer charac- j^edievai ters of special interest to the preacher, al- preachers, though some rare examples may be named, such as the venerable Bede, Anthony of Padua, and Bernard of Clairvaux. 88 CLEKICAL BIOGKAPHY. Since tlie days of the reformers this department of literature has ^rown apace, and has already Befonners. ^ , ^ \ . •{, become so voluminous as to be quite beyond the limits of just treatment, or even of adequate refer- ence, in the text of a work like the present. Yet it cannot be passed over without an earnest recommendation to young preachers to make them- selves familiar with the lives as well as the sermons Modempreaeh- ^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ LatilTlCr, KuOX, JcWcU, ®''^' "Wesley, Benson, Hichard Watson, Robert Hall, Chalmers, Jay, Bunting, Xewton, of England : Keinhard, Krummacher, and Tholuck, of Germany ; Saurin andMonod, not to speak of the great Catholic preachers of France ; John M. Mason, D wight, Sum- merfield, Payson, Olin, and Alexander, of America; together with many others of various periods and countries. THE niSTOET OF PKEACHIJ^G. An adequate history of preaching has never yet been v/ritten." Such a history would involve facts and topics of the greatest interest. It would be a, continued lesson of examples shown not only in the character and relations of individual preachers, but in the collective influence of bodies of men, and the working out of particular doctrines and principles, whether for good or evil. Such a history would be a practical comment upon true and false modes of preaching. It would illustrate the rapid progress of the Gospel, both in ancient and modern times, wherever preached in apostolic simplicity and power ; while it would equally show the fatal decline of true ♦ Several attempts have been made "by German writers ^vll:cll miglit in more evangelical hands prove the basis of something valuable on this Bubject. ( Vide Appendix, p. 400.) PIETY AND PREACHING DECLINE TOGETHER. 89 godliness wlierever tlie voice of evangelical truth has been mutHed by the trappings of ceremonial dis- play, or stifled beneath a mass of errors and corrup- tions. Thus the facts of the past are calculated to impress upon the mind of tbe liomiletical student negative as well as positive lessons of great value. It is indeed a question of grave interest how far the gloom and ignorance of the dark ages preaching gov- actually resulted from a decline in the aeter^^of^'^Se efficiency of preaching. There is cer- cnureh. tainly an obvious correspondence between the fact of that decline and the general decrease of intelli- gence and piety in the Church and the nations. When in the fifth and sixth centuries the system of ritual service began to be developed, in imitation of both heathen and Jewish ceremonies, preaching came to be regarded as of inferior importance. The mass became the great act of divine service; and the sermon, when not omitted altogether, was treated as a mere pendant to a showy ceremonial. During the dismal centuries which followed, preaching became degraded to the lowest degree. In some places it was well-nigh extinct, and in its stead the priests resorted to a species of plays in the churches, in which sacred events were dramatized for the edifica- tion of the people. Is ot only do the annals of the medieval Church show the lack of the vitalizing power of the word, but they illustrate the fearful consequences of its perversion. The Crusades were a result of preaching, not of the Gospel of peace, but of bloody war ; not of love, but of vengeance. The fanaticism aroused by perversion of the harangues of Peter the Hermit, and pleaching, those who followed him in similar efforts to inflame 90 THE GEEAT REFOKMATION. the passions of Christian nations against the Moslems, raged through Europe and the East for the space oi nearly three centuries, consigning to destruction millions of lives and treasure. Not only in that instance, but also in connection with nearly every heresy that has originated since the days of Simon Jiagus, the agency of preaching has been resorted to as a means of propagation, and too often with success. The great Reformation was the result of a revival The great Ref- ^^ ^hc prcachod word. It was not till ormation. ^|^q twclfth coutury that the dawn of better days began to throw its faint glimmer upon the darkness of the middle ages. Cotemporaneously with that event the Gospel trumpet, so long silent, was feebly heard among the wild valleys and se- cluded fastnesses of the Alps. It was caught up and blown with a louder trill by Wiclif in England. Not long afterward its sound was echoed by Huss in Bohemia, and by Savanarola on the plains of Italy. When the voices of these preachers had been extinguished in martyrdom, and the papacy vainly hoped that the trutli was effectually silenced, the outspoken words of Luther sounded forth from the heart of Germany in tones of power that made the papal palaces of Rome tremble to their foundations. The truth could be bound no longer. Preaching, once more restored to its proper character and func- tions, became the grand agency for the spread of the Reformation. It is interesting to observe its progress and effects in the fierce struggles of truth with error, and to mark its growing power during a century or two following, while employed with faithfulness and zeal by such men as Melancthon, Zwingle, Flavel, Lati- WESLEYAN REFORMATION. 91 mer, Jewell, Calvin, and Knox. Great were tlie triumphs of preaching in the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries, and full of instruction are the lives and labors of many, especially of the puritan divines, of the last named century. But when in the lapse of time the early and better fruits of the English reformation had become blighted by dead formalism, lifeless antinomianism, loose Ar- minianism, and other errors, the fruitful source of evil practice ; in the early part of the eighteenth century God in mercy sent a revival of apostolic preaching by his chosen servants, Wesley and Whitefield. This glorious revival, after a hundred years of experiment, is now more active and j)rosperous than ever. The whole Protestant world has participated in it ; while even the Homan Catholic Church, in proportion to the progress of Protestantism, has aroused itself to a degree of activity and earnestness in preaching un- known in its previous history. Especially do the position and character of preach- ing in the nineteenth century challenge ^^^^^e mission the attention of all who are interested in ofp^eaehing. the promotion of the truth. The preaching of the Gospel has now been commenced in a large propor- tion of the languages of the earth, and in many mis- sion fields, under circumstances of peculiar interest. In all enlightened countries it has auxiliaries un- known to the earlier ages of Christianity, such as a Sabbath of acknowledged sanctity, myriads of churches erected and filled with habitual hearers, and millions of Bibles in the hands of the people. It is safe to say that at no preceding time was ever the preaching of the Gospel so widely disseminated ; and probably it would not be hazardous to affirm that, as a whole, the preaching of the present day 92 de:\iaxds of the age. excels that of any former age. It certainly onglit to be so ; and -whatever excellence preaching may now have attained, as the result of the increased diffusion of knowledge and piety, each successive generation of preachers ought to labor, and to hope to carry it forward to still wider spheres of influence and stili higher degrees of power. In order to this they should not be content with narrow views of its character and importance, or of the means necessary to a proper develop- Motives to study. phi . . , /->, i i ment ot all the capacities that (joq has given them for its successful practice. Those who propose to satisfy themselves with the mere routine of a preacher's duties may perhaps feel indifferent to topics like the present ; but all who regard their work as of supreme importance, and themselves engaged in an enterprise whose bearings are as wide as the world and as lasting as eternity, will wish to study the sub- ject in its broadest aspects, and in the light of the maturest experience of the past as well as the most promising experiments of the present. Although not as yet reduced to any single volume, yet the materials of the history of preaching may bo found scattered through the annals of the Church, and may be gathered by each reader for himself. The homiletical student, therefore, will do well to have his eye open to whatever in ecclesiastical history, as well as clerical biography, has a bearing upon this department of study, and also to be observant of what- ever facts are transpiring in his own period to illus- trate the great principles involved in the proclama- tion of the word of life to dvins: men. Most prominently will one great fact rise to view iiessons of Ma- ^^ ^hc rcsult of such obscrvations : preach- tory. j^j^g becomes powerful in proportion to its LESSONS OF HISTORY. 03 connection with intelligent and evangelical piety, l^o scholastic forms, no literary adornmentSj no sallies oi enthusiasm can snpply the place of deep and abiding- convictions of the supreme importance of scriptural truth, as a means of saving the souls of men. Tho true motive and ruling design of preaching must ever be the salvation of the lost and perishing. Wherever this is lost sight of, whether by an individual or by a religious community, the power of preaching declines and the word becomes a dead-letter ; it is no longer the word of life. Ilence it will be seen that wher- ever the Sun of righteousness has been obscured by mists of error, or the Gospel trumpet has been made to give forth an uncertain sound, there preaching has deteriorated and become powerless for good, though often fruitful of evil. Let the student, therefore, be prepared to draw both positive and negative lessons of instruction from examples and from the history of preaching. 94 P0STIL8. CHAPTER IV. THE VARIOUS PRODUCTS OF HOMILETICS. The science of liomiletics is not limited to one form of production. It comprehends not only tlie sermon, bnt also those various other forms and st3des of relig- ious discourse which have been publicly practiced and recognized at different periods of the history of the Church, such as exhortations, homilies, postils, and platform addresses.* These will now be severally treated in the inverse order of their present importance. §1. Postils. During the middle ages the Roman mass was re- garded as the principal part of divine service. If a discourse followed it was necessarily brief, and viewed in the light of a supplement ; hence called a postilla or postil. The postil sustained a relation to the mass analogous to that of a postscript to a letter. Amid the published discourses of the later fathers postils are interspersed. The term itself is diminutive, and indicates a low estimate of preaching. Such an esti- mate prevailed during the medieval age, and with the progress of the Reformation both the idea and * The eccentric Edward Irving in the earlier part of his ministry eoiight to popularize his pulpit addresses under the term orations. His first published volume was entitled, " For the Oracles of God ; four Orations." His second was entitled, "For Missionaries after the Apos- tolic School ; a Series of Orations." The term, however, so far from having been adopted from him by others, was abandoned by himself at a later day, and tlie words, sei-mons, discourses, and homilies employed to designate his pulpit cftorts. EARLY OIllGIN OF HOMILIES. 95 the practice of postulating were superseded by evan- gelical preacLiiig. § 2. Homilies. As explained in tlie first chapter, the term homily was in the early Church for a Ions: period T , ,. /-ii • . T i'arly origin. applied to ordinary (Jlinstian discourses. Its derivation from ofiUeo), to converse familiarly^ in- dicated the great freedom and plainness used by the early Christian preachers in distinction from the arts and ornaments of the rhetoricians. This term is definitely associated with the expository discourses of the fathers, both Greek and Latin, as in the case ol the homilies of Chrysostom and Augustine. As illus- trated by these examples, its character corresponds very nearly to that of the expository style of sermon- izing. At a subsequent period homilies partook more of tlie nature of exhortations, or of the hortatory style of sermons. ENGLISH BOOK OF HOMILIES. The term homily in the English language has re- ceived a fixed signification from its attachment to a collection of plain discourses published ofiicially for reading in the Church of England. This publication was made at an early period of the Reformation, when the clergy were very illiterate, and many of them in- capable of writing suitable sermons for their congre- gations. These facts are illustrated by the following extract of the preface to the " Homilies appointed to be read in Churches in the time of Queen Elizabeth," and published in the year 1562 : Considering how necessary it is that the word of God, which is the only food of the soul, and that most excellent light that we must walk by in this our most dangerous pilgrimage, should 96 THE QUEEX-S IXJUXCTIOX. at all convenient times be preaclied unto the people, . . , and how that all thej which are appointed ministers have not the gift of preaching sufficiently to instruct the people, which is committed unto them, whereof great inconveniences might rise and ignorance still be maintained, if some honest remedy be not speedily found and provided : the Queen's most excellent majesty, TheQueen'a tendering the souls' health of her loving subjects and command, h^q quieting of their consciences in the chief and principal points of Christian religion, . . . hath, by the advice of her most honorable counselors, for her discharge in this be- half, caused a Book of Homilies, which heretofore was set fortli by her most loving brother, a prince of most worthy memory, Edward the Sixth, to be printed anew. All which homilies her majesty commandeth and straitly chargeth all Parsons, Vicars, Curates, and all others having spirit- ual cure, every Sunday and holiday in the year, ... in such order and place as is appointed in the Book of Common Prayers, to read and declare to their parishioners, plainly and distinctly, one of tlie said homilies in such order as they stand in the book, except there be a sermon . . . and then for that cause only, and for none other, the reading of the said homily to be deferred unto the next Sunday, or holiday following. And when the foresaid Book of Homilies is read over, her majesty's pleasure is that the same be repeated and read again in such like sort as was before prescribed. These official injunctions to read tlie homilies have fixed the idiom of om* language. Hence we always Bay read a homily, and not preach or speak a homily, although the latter terms are intrinsically more ap- propriate to the original idea. COXTIXEXTAL BOOKS OF HOMILIES. The Church of England Homilies were by no means the first or only collection of the kind known to his- torj. During the latter part of the medieval age collections of homilies for the whole Church year were in use, denominated Homiliarum. The selec- tioiis we2-e chiefiy made from the ancient Church CONTINENTAL BOOKS OF HOMILIES. 97 Fathers. A noted example is the Ilomiliarum of Charlemagne, which was not merely prepared by the order of that emperor, but was examined by him sheet by sheet as it was prepared by Alcnin and Paulus Diaconns, two leading divines of his day. The full title of this work, as translated from the Latin, reads as follows : Homilies or Sermons ; or, Addresses to the People from the most renowned Doctors of the Church, Jerome, Augustine, Am- brose, Gregory, Origen, Chrysostom, and Bede ; arranged in this order by Alcuin, a priest, by order of the Roman Emperor Charles Magnus, by whom also it was revised. MODERN MODIFICATIONS OF THE HOMILY. Without detracting in the least from the value of the homily in former days, it may now be considered obsolete as a form of pulpit instruction. With the general increase of knowledge no minister is tolerated, at least in any Protestant country, who is not com- petent to produce his own sermons, hence no book of homilies can release the minister from the task of 2>reaching, while between formal sermons and in- formal platform addresses he has little call for homi- lies proper. That service which, in accordance with modern usages, most nearly resembles the homily is the week evening pastoral lecture, a service too often, neglected by ministers and not appreciated by the people, but which, faithfully attended to, will usually prove of great advantage to both. In these exercises the different styles of homily are still appropriate. 1. The first may be designated as a running j)ara' phrase of the text, which may be a comprehensive portion of Scripture. 2. The second is a verbal commentary upon the ^ext, with inferences. 1 9S FLATFORM ADDRESSES. 3. Tlie third is a consecutive address founded upon a shorter passage of Scripture analogous to the textual sermon. The first is sometimes practiced with excellent re- sults in the domestic reading of the Scriptuies, and also regularly by some preachers, the English more especially, in the reading of their public Scri^Dturo lessons. In the latter case the homily is made intro- ductory to the sermon. For suggestions applicable to the second and third kind of homilies, the reader is referred to the subject of expository preaching. § 3. Platform Addresses. In all ages of activity in the Church there must , , have been more or less call upon Chris- Irregular forms -i- of address. -j-jg^^ miuistcrs for irregular services, or addresses of various kinds, aside from the sermon or homily. Siich would be the case in all the delibera- tive assemblies of the clergy, whether in diocesan conventions, synods, or councils. In the Roman Catholic Church the custom of celebrating festivals in honor of the saints caused panegyrics upon the saints to be in constant demand. At some periods these panegyrics remained as almost the only substi- tutes for sermons. Their construction was usually simple, in the narrative form, after the style of the panegyncal oration of the Greeks and Romans. lu Protestant Churches the panegyric, as such, is au- known, but finds its nearest resemblance in the funeral sermons of worthy Christians. During the last century the increased activity of the Church has made new claims upon the ora- Demanda of , ^ . . __,. ^ ciaristian en- torical powcrs 01 the mmistry. ihere has, in fact, sprung up in Protestant countries a CIIIUSTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 90 Btyle of Cliristian oratory unknown in former times. For lack of a better designation it may be indicated by the term platform addresses. This peculiar homi- letical production of the nineteenth century owes its origin to the necessities of numerous benevolent agencies, for which funds require to be solicited, and by means of which the philanthropic interests of indi- viduals and communities are promoted. To attain these objects most effectually the formalities of the pulpit are laid aside, and a greater freedom of address encouraged. Not only in the cause of Christian missions, and its auxiliary enterprises of Bible and tract distribution, has the platform address been highly popular and useful, but also in that of tem- perance, an essential but recently developed branch of moral reform. Widows and orphan asylums, Sunday-schools, societies for the relief of the poor, the aged, and the blind, and, in fact, every species of benevolent effort have demanded, and will hereafter continue to demand, clerical advocacy. Consequently no minister of the present age is proj)erly prepared for his work who is not qualified to speak publicly and effectually in behalf of the various efforts in which Christian men and Churches ought to engage. The minister should also be pre- pared to participate by appropriate public addresses in all patriotic and social anniversaries, turning them to a good moral and religious account. The platform, therefore, as representing the aux- iliaries and incidentals of an active Christianity, may be considered an important adjunct of the pulpit, de- serving not only the respect, but the interested prep- aration of every Christian minister. Of platform addresses it may be said, that while all the essential C[ualities of sermons are appropriate to them, it is less Demands ou the minister. 100 CnARACTEEISTICS. essential that tliey be pervaded with evangelical power. Platform addresses are expected to exhibit a o;reater freedom of manner and variety of Qualities. '^ i -i i i -, matter than sermons, while they demand less of thorough discussion and systematic arrangement. Nevertheless, good materials, a wise distribution, and a spirited delivery are essential to their largest success. The Christian orator in a platform address should have special reference to the demands of the occasion and circumstances in which he speaks, involving the whole question of propriety as relating to his subject and audience. Mere excellences of thought or ele-. gancies of diction are of little value without strict relevancy to the object in view, it being essentially necessary to employ force of argument and expression with reference to practical and immediate results. At this point Christian oratory gains some of the ad- vantages which belong: to judicial and forensic speak- ing, as well as to the demonstrative oratory of the Immediate and aucicnts. Au immediate practical issue Ultimate issues, 'g i^gforc both spcakcr and audience, and unless the issue is gained the address is a failure. ISTevertheless, the speaker on a Christian platform should not confine himself to the immediate issue, but should aim beyond it, and hope to produce results of a good and lasting character in the future. ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS. In order to success in this kind of speaking a preacher or a Christian layman requires particularly to cultivate, 1. Self-possession ; 2. General knowl- edge ; 3. Power of adaptation ; 4. Felicity of illus- tration ; 5. Power of condensation. Long and prosy addresses are specially intolerable BREVITY ESSENTIAL. 101 on the platform. In tliis view, as also . - , . , , Brevity essential. With reference to variety, several speak- ers are usually engaged. It is not always possible for them to know in advance, or, knowing, to avoid each other's track of thought. Hence that breadth of knowledge which will always supply pertinent facts and considerations, that self-possession which will rise superior to sudden embarrassments, and that power of adaptation and illustration which will se- cure the attention, awaken the interest, and grasp the sympathies of an audience, are beyond expression desirable to the platform speaker. The prevailing error of this style of address is lev- ity, and yet it is not to be denied that a fund of chas- tened humor is often highly conducive to the objects of platform speaking. While a just license may be allowed to humor on the platform, nothing is more important than that it be kept within due restraint, and made strictly subservient to the objects of the occasion. When it sinks to the low idea of merely furnishing amusement both speaker and audience are degraded.^ § 4. Exhortation. Exhortation is a primary form of Christian address. En periods of religious decline it has been greatly * The Eev. William Jay, of Bath, records in his autobiography cer- tain'untoward circumstances which caused him, after a few trials, to refuse all subsequent applications to appear on the platform. He nev- ertheless continued to preach aimiversary and " charity " sermons to the end of his life. He says : " I the more readily adopted this resolu- tion as I had a plenitude of other pressing claims. I was also afterward confirmed in the propriety of it by Dr. Chalmers, who, when I was at his house in Glasgow, remarked, ' The pulpit is the preacher's appropri- ate station, and he can there be most influential and useful by touching & number of springs which will set all in motion.' Observation also haa kept me from repenting of my resolution. I have seen that ministers 102 EXHOETATION. undervalued and often overlooked. ISTevertlieless, when suitably comprehended and practiced it will remain of permanent utility in the Church. The English word exhort comes directly from the Latin exhortor. which sisinifies to excite. Etymology ' ^ ' to encourage, iiy usage the word has come to signify to urge, to entreat, to compel with arguments. It is used mosl frequently, though not exclusively, in a religious sense. The scriptural use of the term exhortation is confined to the New Testa- ment. It is first employed in Luke iii, 18, in refer- ence to John the Baptist, of whom it is said, " many other things in his exhortation jpreaclied he unto the people." Thus we have the term at once associated with preaching, and by its position defined to be a partic- A species of ^^^^* modc of prcacliing, or of heralding preaching. f^j,^]^ ^|^q Gospcl. Prcachiug is the ge- nus, exhortation the species. Preaching is the com prehensive term which embraces all modes of teach- ing and diffusing the truths of the Gospel by human speech. Exhortation is that branch or style of who as platform orators have figured much at these meetings have been sadly drawn off from keeping their own vineyards. Nor in general, on these occasions, are they the best or the most accei^table speakers. They are too professional, too sermonic. Laymen who speak more briafly, more simply, and apparently more from the heart, are com- monly more effective, and arc heard to more advantage." Eemark. — Wliile no countenance should be given to real or apparent neglect of the minister's own vineyard, and while it is not supposed that all will be equally successful in this branch of effort, still the opin- ion may be maintained that ministers generally should seek to qualify themselves for usefulness on the platform. The very effort to avoid the defects and to cultivate the good qualities indicated by Mr. Jay will be useful to them in all tlieir ministrations, while by their presence and cooperation they ought to exert a most salutary influence upon the char- acter of the popular assemblies in which they may mingle. The prD- priety of this coarse for ministers is much more obvious than that of becoming professional lecturers on miscellaneous subjects. SCKIPTURAL IDEA OF EXHORTATION. 103 preaching in wliicli appeal, entreaty, admonition, and consolation constitute the principal elements. SCKIPTURAL IDEA OF EXHORTATION. This view may be illustrated by some references to the original text. With two unimportant exceptions, the only Greek word of the New Testament which is rendered exhort, and the substantive of which is rendered exliortation, is irapaKaXEG), to call upon, call to, call for, etc. Its use is frequent and its render- ings are various, such as beseech, desire, entreat, com- fort, and EXHORT. The substantive is rendered com- fort and consolation as well as entreaty and exlwrta- tion. From the same verb is derived TrapdKXrjrog, the name frequently applied to the third person of the Holy Trinity and rendered the Comforter. Once it is applied to the Saviour himself, 1 John ii, 1 : " We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." ATOSTOLIC EXAMPLES. To illustrate more fully the scriptural idea of ex- hortati'on it may be well to collate a few of the pas- sages in which the term exhort is used. Peter's dis- course on the day of Pentecost is an example of an apostolic exhortation. It makes several quotations of Scripture, but is based on no particular text. Acts ii, 14: "Peter, standing, up with the Exhortation f eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto ^®*®''- them. Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words." After this brief introduction he pro- ceeded to quote the Prophet Joel and the Psalmist David, applying the words of prpphecy to the events then transpiring, and giving his personal testimony iOi APOSTOLIC EXAMPLES. to the wicked crucifixion and glorious resurrection of tlie Lord Jesus Christ. In conclusion, Peter brought all the facts and reasoning of his discourse to a per- gonal issue, saying : " Eepent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ. . . . xVnd with many other words did he testify and exhoet, say- ing, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." Another apostolic exhortation is reported in the Acts of the Apostles, xiii, 15. Paul and his company having arrived at Antioch, went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. After the read- ing of the law and the prophets, " the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying. If ye have any word of exhortation^ say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said. Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience." The brief historic exhortation which followed was the in- troduction of the word of God into Antioch, the Gen- tiles immediately thereafter beseeching that "these words might be preached unto them the next Sab- bath." In the same chapter it is recorded that Paul and Barnabas returned from Derbe to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, " confirming the souls of the disci- ples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith.'" Acts xiv, 22. In the following chapter it is stated that " Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, (that is, religious teachers j)robably of an incipient grade,) exhorted the brethren with many words, and con- firmed them." In the twentieth chapter of Acts, verse two, the whole of Paul's second missionary tour through Mac- edonia is represented to have been chiefly employed In exhortation. INFERENCES. 105 In the epistles the term exhort is frequently used;, for example, llom. xii, 8: "He that exhorteth^ let nim wait on exhortation.'^'' 1 Thess. ii, 3, 4: "For onr exhortation was not of deceit, . . . but as we were allowed of God to be pnt in trnst with the Gospel, even so we speak ; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts." 1 Tim! iv, 13 : " Till ] come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation^ to doctrine." 1 Tim. vi, 2 : " These things teach and exhortP 2 Tim. iv, 2: "Preach the word; . . . reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Titus i, 9 : A bishop should " be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince gainsay- ers." Titus ii, 15 : " These things speak, and exhort^ and rebuke with all authority." Tleb. iii, 13 : " Ex- ■ hort one another daily, while it is called To-day." INFERENCES. The above and numerous other passages of Scrip- ture indicate several important particulars. 1. That it was not beneath the dignity or foreign to the office of the inspired apostles frequently to exhort, 2. That they enjoined a similar practice and the duty of exhortation upon young ministers of their day. 3. That exhortation, as separate from preaching, was the special office of a certain class of religious teachers in the ^Rew Testament Church. 4. 'That mutual exhortation for their own profit and edification was enjoined by the apostles upon Christians generally. THE GIFT OF EXHORTATION". These scriptural examples and precepts remain on record for our instruction. It is not easy to determine 106 THE GIFT OF EXHORTATION. , to wliat extent tliey have been operative in tlie his- tory of the past, although it is certain tliat thej have been greatly overlooked during long periods of relig- ions decline. It is no less certain that the primitive practice of religions exhortation has an intrinsic pro- priety adapted to all times and all circumstances of humanity. Even in the present day, when the plat- form address represents the march of progress, exhort- ation is also demanded as its spiritual counterpart. A certain element of secularity pervades the former. The latter, with its heart-appeals and holy energy, rings out like the clarion sound of the early Gospel. "As it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken ; we also believe, and therefore speak. "^ Ministers should covet earnestly the good gift of Should be GOV- exhortation as a means of increasing their eted. moral and spiritual power. Laymen also, desiring to be useful, should seek to qualify them- selves to perform the same duty in their proper sj)here. While the inherent right of thus laboring to pro- mote the cause of God is generally conceded to Chris- tian laymen, it is the custom of some Churches to make official appointment of exhorters as a primary grade of religious teachers, from which, after due trial, they advance to the more responsible office of preachers. This custom deserves commendation, since no more fitting elementary practice can be devised for young men contemplating the ministry than that prescribed by the Apostle Paul to Timothy: "Givo attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." Xot only is tlie practice of exhortation conducive Importance of to carly and legitimate usefulness, but it early dev slop- "^ '- , < -1 • j* ment. bccomcs vcry advantageous to the mdi- * 2 Cor. iv, 13. THE EXIIORTER. 107 vidual practicing it by calling into action those gifts and graces wliicli are essential to success in riper years and larger fields of responsibility. To com- mence preacliing too young is, in ordinary cases, greatly objectionable ; but to wait in absolute inac- tion during the years necessary to accomplish a thor- ough education is still more so. By the latter course many a young man of lively sensibilities and ready utterance, and who only need- ed guidance, cultivation, and practice to qualify him for free and powerful eloquence, has been dwarfed into habits of dry artificiality, for which no degree of intellectual culture can adequately compensate. On the other hand, by judicious and constant practice even moderate talents have been developed into pow- erful agencies of usefulness, always increasing in pro- portion to the degree of knowledge and piety with which they are associated. The powers of ordinary speech are never so easily and properly developed as in childhood — nature's own time. So in the religious life, the tongue of the witness for Jesus is never so readily loosed as in spiritual childhood. Those, therefore, who are born into the kinsfdom of Christ are from the first to be encouraged to speak for God in all appropriate ways ; and when the Church deems any young man a hopeful candidate for the ministry she does well to commission him to exhort, and to encourage him in the duty while pursuing a course of study. The practical question now arises. How should such an exhorter proceed ? His object is ^^^ proper supposed to be identical with that of the °°'^^^' minister of the Gospel, but his S2)here is more limited. lie does not wish to assume a character to which he lias not yet attained, neither is he disposed to hide his 108 HIS CHARACTER light under a busliel. He should, therefore, be true to himself and his circumstances. He may safely assume that most men know much more of Christian truth than they practice. Hence it is appropriate for him by earnest exhortation to arouse them to action and to duty. In this view he may select subjects which are familiar and truths w^hich are self-evident, and proceed at once to urge upon the hearts and con- sciences of the peoj^le their immediate practice. Although not expected to take a text, as if to at- tempt a sermon, yet the exhorter is at full liberty to quote and apply portions of Scripture applicable to any topic of truth or duty. In fact the whole range of Scripture topics is before him, and he will find it a most appropriate and profitable exercise to col- late and quote with pertinence the Scripture teach- ings on any subject he may take up. As the chief topics of Scripture are eminently practical, so the variety of subjects appropriate to exhortation is un- limited. They may be treated in social religious meetings as among Christian brethren, or in promis- cuous assemblages. In the former case, consolation, quickening, and encouragement are the leading ob- jects ; in the latter, admonition, warning, and en- treaty to flee from the wrath to come. The exhorter should be a man of faith and of prayer, and should wait on his exhortation with that combined meekness and zeal which will alike win the confidence of the Church and the respect of the world. He should guard against rambling and inco- lierency of thought, but should never content himself without positive, if not immediate results of his labors. Early and proper attention to exhortation, as now commended, will prove an excellent preparation for OCCASIONS 1X)R EXHOKTATION. 109 hortatory preacliing, and also for tliose liortatory addresses whicli need to be intermingled with practi- cal and even doctrinal discourses. Nor is exhorta- tion proper to be limited to laymen or Exhortation intending ministers. It is demanded ^inedinlhl from ministers of the Gospel of every c^^^e^- grade, in numberless forms, and on occasions that never cease to occur. In ]3rotracted meetings, at camp-meetings, in prayer-meetings, in class-meetings, and in all forms of extra efforts for the conversion of souls, a talent for exhortation is of inestimable value to the preacher and the pastor. OCCASIONS FOE EXHORTATION. ITor is the custom, heretofore prevalent, of follow- ing the sermon of a ministerial brother with a soul- stirring exhortation to be discarded. Let the exam- ple be supposed of a stranger having preached and enunciated important truths, but that, for lack of a personal acquaintance with the congregation, he has been unable to make those special and pertinent applications of truth so necessary to secure the most desirable results. It becomes the pastor to be able to seize upon the occasion, and to apply the subject with pertinence and energy to the hearts of the people. The case may be reversed. A pastor may have preached, and a stranger may be called on to exhort. To the latter is given a most interesting opportunity to enforce and illustrate truth from new points of view, and often congregations are greatly moved and edified by brief and timely addresses from visiting brethren. How puerile in such circumstances would seem the excuse, " I am not prepared." Indeed, how unworthy would it be of a Christian minister, a pub- ilO THE SERMCN". lie teacher, not to be prepared, botli by liis education and Ills habits, to deliver an appropriate and pungent exhortation whenever in fitting circumstances called on to do so. Let candidates for the ministry then prepare themselves for such emergencies, and how ever they may seek to become qualified for the deliv ery of able and systematic sermons, let them seek to be also and always ready for fervent and powerful exhortations. Thus only may they worthily follow tlie example of the apostles. § 5. The Sermon. The word sermon is derived from the Latin sermo^ a speech. It has been adopted into the languages of all Christian nations to signify, as the original Latin word from the third century came to signify, a formal religious discourse founded upon the word of God. The products of Christian oratory, thus far consid- ered, are occasional ; the sermon is regular. They rise or fall in importance with times and circum- stances. Tiius the days of liomilies and postils have already passed away, while that of platform addresses The sermon be- is scarcclv at its meridian; but the sermon longBtoaUpe- "^ .' riods. belongs alike to all periods. It was in- stituted by the Saviour, it was practiced by the apos- tles, and, having come down through the successive ages of the Church, is as important and as well adapted to the wants of the world to-day as it was in tlie beginning. Other homiletical products may be considered accessory, the sermon ultimate, as the great means of difi'using Christianity and of edifying the Church. The homily on a week-day evening may appro])riately j^repare the way for a sermon on the Sabbath, and an exhortation may fitly supple- OFFICES OF THE SERMON. Ill ment the sermon ; but the sermon itself will continue to occupy the position of central and substantial im- portance. The sermon is especially adapted to the Sabbath day, and to Christian congregations. It is, however, no less appropriate on week-days, and before judicial or legislative assemblies. A sermon ]3 in place where even a few are gathered together in the name of Christ, and equally so to the largest gatherings of men. Sermons may be delivered in the hut and in the cathedral, on the mountain side or by the sea-shore, on shipboard and in military camps, and may be adapted to the instruction and profit of the people in all j^ossible circumstances, rpj^g ggrmon a The great mass of religious teaching is produerofhJm- communicated in the form of sermons, ii^"°«- and the sermon always has been and ever must remain the essential complement of the idea of preaching. While, therefore, the Christian minister should understand the character and uses of the minor homiletical products, and frequently employ them as tributaries and accompaniments to his sermons, nevertheless he should regard preaching in its nor- mal form as his standard work. The preparation and delivery of sermons is in fact to be the great business of his life. To this work he needs to devote his constant study and his diligent labor, his profoundest meditation and his most fervent prayers, that he may show himself " approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." In view of the great importance of the sermon, it is perhaps not surprising that some authors have treated it as if it involved the whole of homiletics. The work of Claude, '^ On the Composition ^f a Ser- 112 OFFICES OF THE SERMON. mon," is an instance in point, and represents a large class of treatises which only take cognizance of this single homiletical product. While taking exception to the technical impro- priety of this treatment of a part of the snbject for the whole, it may nevertheless be conceded that the sermon involves the most essential principles of Christian oratory. In accordance with this view, space will now be allotted for the discussion of principles which have a definite bearing upon all branches of the snbject, although their most direct application is to sermocfi as the representative product of homiletics. PROPRIETY OF THE USE OF TEXTS. 113 CHAPTER V. TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE AS THE THEMES OP SERMONS. § 1. The Pkopriety of their Use. If tlie question be asked whether a text of Scripture is essential to a sermon, a negative answer may readily be given. As the word sermon signifies in its broadest sense a religions discourse, so there may be a large variety of religious discourses with or with- out texts. As Yinet justly says : " A sermon may be Christian, edifying, instructive, without containing even one passage of Holy Scripture. It may be very biblical without a text, and with a text not biblical at all." Nevertheless, the question of the propriety of tak- ing texts as the themes of sermons may be emphati- cally answered in the affirmative. It is first to be observed that the custom is already in existence. It has come down to us from Established antiquity. It has been regarded useful in '^^stom. the past, and it is sanctioned by general if not uni- versal usage at the present. Some persons have urged against the custom that it is liable to sundry abuses; for example, that of transcendentalists and semi-infidels, who objections take texts only to emasculate or ridicule <^°^^i^^^^ them; also of some preachers, who only make the text a point of departure. "While it is obvious that Buch practices are abuses, it is not conceded that they arc justly chargeable upon the custom itself. 114: A1>IAL0GY OF JEWISH CUSTOM. Otliers urge tliat a more symmetrical discourse may be written or preaclied without tlie trammel of a text. While the last assertion is doubted, it may be confidently remarked that mere symmetry is far from being the proper end of preaching. At the same time it may be conceded that whenever a preacher, having duly considered the object of a given dis- course, and finding no suitable text in connection with which he can maintain the rhetorical unity or philosophic accuracy important to his object, he may feel at liberty to employ a discourse without a text, whether it most resembles a sermon, an oration, an essay, or an exhortation. Such cases, however, with evangelical preachers will be rare and exceptional. ANALOGY OF JEWISH CUSTOM. It has been customary with some to date the prac- tice of discoursing on passages of the sacred word from the example of l^ehemiah, (Neh. viii, 8,) hereto- fore referred to.* As that example sprang from a peculiar and unusual service, growing out of the re- turn of the nation from captivity, it would be quite as correct to say" that the custom in question was derived from a practice of the Jewish synagogue^s. It seems impossible now to determine with cer- tainty when synagogues originated. Some authors suppose as early as the days of Solomon ; others, with more probability, from the period of the exile. It ia certain that before the Saviour's advent they had become widely introduced ; the Talmudists say wdiere- ever there were ten families. As the object of these structures was to encourage spiritual worship apart from ceremonial observances, the reading of the law and the ])rophets appeal's to * Chap, ii, § 4, ANALOGY OF THE SAVIOUR'S EXAMPLE. 115 aave been a part of tlieir service from the begmning. Yarious allusions in the New Testament confirm thia view, but especially the statement of Paul in Acts XV, 21 : " For Moses of old time (from the ancient generations) hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." In Acts xiii, 27, he speaks of the prophets in similar language as being " read every Sabbath day." While preaching in any proper sense was not a part of the synagogue service, yet it was evidently customary for the elders of the Jews, after the read- ing of the Scriptures had closed, to speak to the people, and doubtless with reference to the sacred text which had been read in tlieir hearing. ANALOGY OF THE SAVIOUR'S EXAMPLE. Our Saviour sanctioned this custom by regular attendance upon the synagogue and participation in the reading service. "Witness the narrative in Luke iv, 16 : "As his custom v)as^ he went into the syn- agogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor," etc. He then proceeded to identify the custom of reading a text of fc^cripture with his own glorious agency of preacliing the Gospel. " And he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." The fact also that Christ in his Sermon on the Mount, and many other of his discourses, freely quoted the Old Testament Scriptures and commented upoD 116 THE PEACTICE OF THE APOSTLES AND lATHEPvS. them, is sufficient to sanction botli the spirit and the letter of the present custom. THE PEACTICE OF THE APOSTLES Al^T) FATHERS. The example of the apostles bears upon the same point. For although we do not find them taking texts in precisely the modern style, yet in all their prominent religious addresses they appear to have introduced passages of Scripture as a basis of instruc- tion, argument, and appeal. The example of Peter, reported Acts ii, lY ; of Stephen, Acts vii, 2, 3 ; and of Paul, Acts xxvi, 22, may be fairly supposed to represent the habit of all the apostles. There is no more satisfactory way of accounting for the general prevalence of a similar custom in the early Church than by supposing that it descended from the apostles to the fathers, and by them was handed down to the Church in later ages. Certain it is that the custom v/as thoroughly establislied at the earliest periods from which the sermons of the fathers have come down to us, and that it has pre- vailed at all succeeding periods. THE INHERENT FITNESS OF THE CUSTOM. The early and general prevalence of tlie custom, if it be not authoritative, is at least instructive. It shows us that there is an inherent fitness in the prac- tice of using texts as the themes of sermons from which neither time nor circumstances can detract. Indeed, without texts there would have been no ser- mons. In other words, but for the essential basis of the word of God Christian oratory would have been something entirely difierent from what it is. The general principle that a portion of Scripture should be announced as embracing the subject c>f a THE OBJECT OF EMPLOYING TEXTS. 117 sermon does not limit tlie preaclier to a single passage, hut comprehends within itself the various forms whicli in practice texts assume, from a few words to a paragraph, or even a chapter. Nor is it necessary to be announced before commencing the sermon. Often- times an introduction preliminary to the text will awaken peculiar interest both in the text and the subject. § 2. The Object of employing Texts. 1, The first object proposed in the employment of a text is to make a suitable recognition of Keeognition of God's Word as the great theme of all Qod'sword. Cln-istian preaching. "Wlien a preacher appears before an audience and announces a portion of Holy Writ as the subject of his discourse, in that very act he proclaims its author- ity. In exhibiting his own reverence for the sacred canon he clialleno;es the homao^e of his hearers for that which is superior to all human wisdom. By this act he also strengthens his own position, since there is a vast difference between coming before an audience in his own name and with a message of his own devisino^, and comino^ in God's name with a message from heaven. 2. By means of a Scripture text the preacher secures a valid basis for the instruction of men. Instead of appearing to promulgate his own the- ories, or to announce merely the opinions ^^^ ^g^^^. ^a^jg of mortals like himself, he comes ;s a o^ i^^^^^^^on. steward of the manifold mysteries of God. He comes as an embassador of Christ, proclaiming terms of rec- onciliation to offending rebels. He comes to the slaves of lust and sin and offers them truth which will make them free indeed. 118 ADVANTAGES OF TEXTS. It is not necessary that tlie subject of a sermon be strictly identical with the words of a text. The grand principle is, that the subject be found within the text and be legitimately deducible from it. The text is always greater than the subject ; and as the greater contains the less, so the text usually embraces several subjects, whereas the sermon should always be con- fined to one. An illustration of the multiplicity of subjects or possible themes contained in a single text is given further along. "^ 3. The use of texts tends to variety in preaching. The Word of God not only furnishes an unwasting supply of truth, but presents that truth in the most interesting and diversified forms. It may indeed be Texts tend to doubtcd whethcr any truth necessary to variety. mau's instructiou in righteousness and the way of salvation has not some form of statement in the Holy Scriptures. Although rarely given in abstract declarations, it may be found in narratives, historic statements, and even in those nice shades of character which the pen of inspiration has delineated with such inimitable grace. To be impressed with the infinite variety which the Scriptures contain and suggest, one has only to refiect that, while for ages they have supplied the richest themes for human thought and instruction, they are now, like a living fountain or a boundless ocean, as exhaustless as ever. Who, then, would not resort for subjects of pulpit address to this well-spring of living waters rather than to that shaHow source, his own ingenuity ? 4. Texts aid the memory, and stimulate the futuie thoughtfulness of the hearer. * Chap, vi, p. 148; chap, vii, p. 169. ABUSES OF TEXTS. 119 If according to a rlietorical maxim tlie discourse Le the topic expanded, in like manner the Aid. memory. topic is the discourse condensed. When, therefore, that topic is a text of Scripture it serves as a rallying point to memory, around which the in- structions of the sermon will cluster. Thus the leading texts of Scripture become the foci of recol- lection, to which the teachings of scores of sermons converge, and from which they will radiate in appli« cation to practical life. The above and many other considerations admonish the minister of the Lord Jesus to preach the word rather than topics of his own devising, and also never to introduce into his preaching anything out of har- mony with the sacred text. ABUSES OF TEXTS. While the proper object of using texts of Scripture in preaching is invested with an importance so intrin- sic, there are flippant modes of comj^lying with the custom that deserve reprobation. One is that of making the text a point of departure, from which the preacher seeks to disembarrass himself as soon as possible ; and another is that of prefacing the text as a mere motto to an essay, or a harangue independently prepared. Such trifling with texts cannot be too severely cen- sured. ^Nevertheless, there is a style of treatment in which a text taken as a motto may be most forcibly employed for instruction, illustration, and encourage- ment ; in which, indeed, both the letter and spirit of the sacred motto may be so inwrought as to pervade and hallow the whole discourse. 120 the choice of texts. §3. Texts should be chosen with Care and Solicitude. The choice of a text being the initial step in the construction and delivery of a sermon, it is an act which should be performed with deliberate thought- fulness, and a devout anxiety for the divine guidance. Nothing is more appropriate at this earlier stage of eifort than to seek direction from on high in devout and special prayer. A moment's reflection upon the eternal conse- careiessnessre- q^euccs that may Issuc from the preaching buked. Q-p ^ single sermon in the name of the great Author and Finisher of faith should be sufficient to effectually rebuke the hap-hazard carelessness and the reckless self-conceit with which texts are sometimes taken and treated, and to impress every true minister of the Gospel with the duty of choosing his texts in such a frame of mind as may harmonize with the divine guid- ance as often as he may perform that important task. It is not presumptuous to suppose that prayers for divine influence in a matter so accordant with the will of God may receive direct answers, either by a special quickening of the mind, a holy impulse upon the soul, or a sacred control of the judgment. ISTev- ertheless, no one would be justified in relying on divine aid without making diligent use of the powers that God has given him for self-help. Hence the re- mark which follows. §4. Judicious Habits of Selection should be Cultivated. The practical question now arises, In what way may a minister, with the least loss of time and witli the greatest prospect of success, make his selection of texts for sermons 'i HELPS TO A EIGHT CHOICE. 1^1 There are cases in wliicli well-intentioned men have fallen into habits of an opposite character, that have entailed upon them great indecision :B.esuitB of bad of mind, followed by loss of time and ^*^'*^- agonizing suspense; in short, causing them to con- Bider the selection of a text more dithcult than the preparation of a sermon. To guard against such habits, and the embarrassments most likely to arise in emergencies, it is necessary to make systematic preparation in advance. In answer, therefore, to the question above stated, the first thing to be commended is the special and habitual consultation of the Scriptures as the source of pulpit themes. 1. A minister's critical and devotional reading of the Bible, next to the spiritual profit of his own soul, should constantly contemplate the collection of themes for public discourse. Whatever interest, instruction, or profit we personally derive from the perusal or study of any portion of Scripture, may in all probability be made a means of instruction and profit to others. 2. In addition to being on the alert to find manna for the flock while seeking his own spiritual nourish- ment, a minister should search the Scriptures spe- cially and frequently for the express object of finding passages that he may use as texts in preaching. Here is a department of Scripture study peculiar to the minister of the Gospel — the Bible as a book of themes for the preacher. By studying it as such he will often make new and valuable discoveries m the very paths he has trod before as a student or a devo- tional reader, without having perceived the ores and gems which glittered at his feet. " 3. As a prudential and labor-saving process, he 122 THE CLASSIFICATION OF TEXTS. should classify and record from time to time tlie texts upon wliicli his mind fixes as adapted to pulpit ministrations. Sucli a record, made by each preacher for himself, and as tlie fruit of his own Classification. i • • i i i study, may become to liim mvaiuable as a source of reference in the future. " Some individuals prefer to avoid this labor, and to rely on the convenient compilations of others for assistance of this kind. It is not denied that an ana- lytical concordance, and several printed classifications of Scripture, are often both convenient and useful to the preacher ; f but they are generally too vague and cumbrous for the special object now proposed. They are better adapted to aid in collecting proof-texts, and in furnishing synoptical views of concurrent Scriptures; whereas special benefit accrues to the preacher from the act of making his own selection and classification. As a counterpart of the foregoing suggestions, it may be added that subjects sometimes occur to the mind in advance of texts. Frecpently, indeed, spe- cial circumstances or providences dictate subjects to the preacher, and place him under the necessity of finding Scriptures which express the mind of the Spirit with reference to those subjects. Thus death or sudden calamity, becoming a neces- sary topic of discourse, may suggest to one's mind texts which we would not have selected in advance, * " How do you obtain your texts ?" said a friend to the serapLi« Thomas Spencer, of Liverpool. He replied, " I keep a little book, in which I enter every text of Scripture which comes into my mind with power and sweetness. Were I to dream of a passage of Scripture I should enter it, and when I sit down to compose I look over the book and have never found myself at a loss for a subject." + Of these, Gaston's Collections, Locke's Commonplace-Book ol Scripture, the Analytical Concordance, and the Law and the Testimony miiy be mentioned as excellent. PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE CHOICE. 123 or may put us on a special searcli wliicli seldom fails to be rewarded. GUIDIXG PKINCTPLES. Anotlier practical question liere arises: On what principles are we to choose a particular text or sub- ject from the numerous possible ones that might be treated at a given time ? It may be answered negatively, 1. That we should not choose this or that subject merely because we happen to have a sermon written or prepared upon it. 2. 'Nov merely because it would seem easier to treat this or that text. Indeed, these circumstances may become strong reasons why we should take other subjects and different texts, and exercise ourselves to new and special preparations. No preacher should confine himself to a narrow range of familiar subjects, or allow himself to fall into particular ruts of thought outside of which he cannot move or act with freedom. Xor should any one be content to con- sult his own ease at the expense of that variety which is equally essential to impart vivacity to his own mental action and interest to the minds of his hearers. On the other hand, 1. We may choose a particular subject because, from our best knowledge and judg- ment, it seems to be specially adapted to the circumstances and wants of our hearers. It is not improper to suppose that there may be, each particular 8abbath of the year, some subject or subjects which in the order of Providence are more particularly applicable to a given congregation than they ever will be at any other time. To be able to determine with correctness what these special subjects are is the great desideratum, 124 STUDY OF ALAPTATION. and should be tlie constant anxiety of the preacher A faithful compliance with the following precepts will greatly conduce to the attainment of an ability so much to be desired. Means of aseer- By diligcut pastoral intcrcourse study tion. the spiritual condition and necessities of your people. By careful attention to the various events in which they are or ought to be interested, such as danger from a prevailing epidemic, or a religious awakening in its various stages, learn to discriminate closely, and fit the right topic to the right time. B}^ a careful study of your own heart learn what are the evils and the lono^in^s of the hearts around you, and wisely to apply the provisions of the GospeL^ If in none of these ways a special subject is sug- gested, 2. We may have recourse to those general and standard topics of Christianity which can never be out of place, and in which all congregations need to be thoroughly instructed. In preaching to strange congregations we must almost of necessity be governed bv this standard topics, _ at* ' ^ " i • rule. And m our several congregations we should feel obligated to treat these subjects in due proportion, and systematically if possible, both for their good and in compliance with our duty, to de- clare the whole counsel of God. * Said Robert Cecil : " A young minister must learn to separate and Belect hiB materials. A man wlio talks to himself will find out what suits the heart of man : some things respond ; they ring again. Nothing of this sort is lost on mankind; it is worth its weight in gold for the service of the minister. lie must remark, too, what it is that puzzles and distracts the mind: all this is to be avoided. It may wear the garb of deep research, great acumen, and extensive learning ; but it is nothing to the mass of mankind." VARIETY. 125 With such resources at hand, and the whole word of God open hefore him, it is difficult to imagine how any active and furnished mind can ever feel the lack of important themes adapted to any occasion. Ecnially difficult is it to understand how some preach- ers can content themselves to be laying over and over ao-ain the same foundations of familiar truth, as though none had ever built upon them, or need now to be carried up the progressive heights of Christian knowledge and experience. 3. With all else a preacher should have constant reference to the variety of subjects and mat- ^^^^^^^ ter needed by his hearers, not only from y'ai to year and from month to month, but also from Sabbath to Sabbath, and even in successive services of the same Sabbath. - , . ^ i This principle shows that the old habit of preach- ing twice on the same text the same day, conclud- in! the subject in the afternoon" or evemng was highly objectionable. It is admissible now only m Jj fare circumstances. Equally objectionable is the practice of an undue subdivision of themes m serial discourses, like that of preaching ten or fifteen sei- mons consecutively on the Lord's prayer. § 5 KULES APPLICABLE TO THE SELECTION OF TEXTS. Certain general rules relating to this subject have long been current, and have not only received the sanction of the best writers on homiletics, but the ap- probation of all preachers of good judgment. Then substance may be briefly stated, as follows : 1. In all cases choose texts which make a complete Bcnse. T Choose a text which embraces legitimately and, if possible, obviously the subject of the sermon. 126 TEXTS INDICATE THE QUALITY OF PKEACHING. 3. As to language, select those which are perspic- uous, pertinent, full, and yet simple. 4. Select those which are oi medium length ; neither too long, and consequently embracing too many sub- jects, nor abruptly short. Corresponding to these rules preachers should avoid selecting texts which are odd, for the double reason that such a proceeding is beneath the dignity of a serious minister, and that the idea of quaintness is un- favorable to purity and dej)th of religious impression Avoid also, especially as young preachers, select- ing texts which are very difficult, lest you should embarrass without profiting both yourself and your hearers. By all means avoid using texts which are of doubt- ful application to the subject in hand, lest both your judgment and your religious integrity should be im peached by such a course. In conclusion, it may be remarked that a preacher's character is in no small degree indicated by the class or classes of texts which he habitually selects. This principle is strikingly illustrated in a passage from Dr. Eafiles's Memoir of Spencer : The passages of Scripture selected by Mr. Spencer as the sub- jects of his earliest discourses afford another demonstration, in addition to many others, of the general bias of his mind. They are such as one may well imagine a preacher panting for tlie salvation of his fellow-men would select for the commencement of Ills public labors. The topics which they suggest are of all otlicrs the most sol- emn, "as they are the most simple and the most important in the whole range of inspired truth, and hence they were best adapted to the preacher's age and the unlettered character of his auditors. Such texts are as available now as in the days of Spencer; and if the reader finds himself inclined to TREACII ON GREAT SUBJECTS. 1*27 pass tliem by in his search for those that are merely curious and entertaining, or those on which he can make a display of his ingenuity or his learning, let him be admonished to a better course. ''Preach on great subjects," is the urgent advice of that excellent writer, Dr. J. AV. Alexander. He says: A man should begin early to grapple with great subjects. An athlete (2 Thn. ii, 5) gains might only by great exertions. So that a man does not overstrain his powers, the more he wrestles the better ; but he must wrestle, and not merely take a great sub- ject and dream over it or play with it. No two men will treat the same subject alike unless they borrow from one another. The great themes are many. They are such as move the feel- ings; the great questions which have agitated the world — which agUate our own bosoms— which we should like to have settled be- fore we die— which we should ask an apostle about if he were here. These are to general Scripture truth what great mountains are in geography. Some, anxious to avoid hackneyed topics, omit the greatest; just as if we should describe Switzerland and omit the Alps. Some ministers preach twenty years, and yet never preach on the judgment, hell, the crucifixion, nor on those great themes which in all ages affect children and affect the common mind, such as the deluge, the sacrifice intended of Isaac, the death of Absalom, the parable of Lazarus. The Methodists constantly pick out these striking themes, and herein they gain a just ad- vantage. Let such advices be taken in due connection with those other principles which should govern the preacher's plans of labor and they cannot fail to be profitable. 138 GENERAL VIEWS OF THE SUBJECT. CHAPTER VI. AGENCIES OF PULPIT PREPARATION. § 1. General Yiews of the Subject. From ancient times systematic writers on rhet- oric liave divided tlie agencies of oratorical prodnc- tion into invention, disposition, and elocution, mean- ing by the latter term what we now understand by Btyle. In homiletics there is no sufficient reason for departing from this mode of division any further than the peculiar nature of the subject requires. The chief difference of this character arises at the threshold. The preacher is not at liberty to invent, or to say what he may please on themes furnished him by revelation. Here it is that God speaks, and man is simply an interpreter. This fact also modifies the task of invention by making its principal work the illustration of what revelation teaches. In a certain broad sense, that of " finding what is proper to be said," invention is sometimes not incor- rectly represented to cover the whole process of ora- torical preparation. In this sense invention finds the theme of discourse, and both the matter and the language of its treatment. Some writers go so far as even to include disposition under invention as a generic term. To avoid a vagueness so unphilosophical, and at the same time to adopt an analysis of definite signifi- cance and practical utility, it is better to consider the whole subject of pulpit preparation, not including religious experience, as divisible into two great ELEMENTS OF I'REPAKATION. 129 brandies : first, that relating to thought ; second. that rehithig to language. L Tlie mental preparation for preaching requires, J. Interpretation. 2. Invention. 3. Disi)Osition. II. The lingual ])reparation for preaching requires, 1. The selection of the particular words in which to express the thoughts designed to be conveyed ; or, 2. The acquisition of a capacity to clothe thouglit^i with fitting language at the moment when expression is desired. Elocution, in the modern sense of the public deliv- ery of discourse, is clearly distinct from j^p^rtant dis- preparation either of thought or of Ian- ti^^tion. guage. It is the executive act which attempts to eecnre the resnlt of preparation. A sermon may be mentally prepared, but not composed in language. It may even be composed in language and yet not delivered. Thus far all is preparation. The idea of preaching is only realized in the delivery. Preach ing is radically defective which lacks good matter for delivery, and poor delivery may render inefiective the best of matter. Thus it may be seen that the act of preaching is highly complex, requiring thorough preparation in various forms. The present chapter relates specifically to mental ]3reparation. Supposing the text to be selected as the general theme of a sermon, the next step on the part of the preacher is to gather materials for the construction of the discourse. As every sermon demands a theme, BO every theme- requires elucidation. In the sense tliat the oak is latent in the acorn, the sermon may be considered latent in the text. The oak is not de- veloped without the influence of external agencies, 130 SUCCESSIVE STErs. Biicli as earth, moisture, warmth, and air. So a ser- mon is not produced without the application of suit- able developing agencies to the text or theme. The first and most important of these agencies is interpretation, by which we ascertain the meaning of the text, the ''mind of the Spirit." The second is invention, by which the meaning of the text is eluci- dated both as to its internal and its external relations. The third is disposition, by which the materials gath- ered by interpretation and invention are arranged for the most effective presentation to the minds of others. These several processes should precede verbal com Ideas not always positiou, cxccpt SO far as words may be the dependent on i • i • p "i i words. necessary vehicles or retainers ol tliouglit. Some ideas, those of number, for example, are only held in the mind in a verbal form. Most other ideas are grasped and retained in that mentally visible form denominated conception. Ideas or facts are con- ceived, but not in definite association with words. Mental conceptions indeed may be latent, that is, un- consciously held in the mind until called forth by some association or efi'ort which arrays them visibly before the mind's eye. The task of clothing such conceptions in words or forms of expression is subsequent and distinct. It maybe differently performed at different times. The preacher should seek to perform it at the most favor able time for the unity and effectiveness of his dis- course. This rarely if ever can be till the whole plaii of the discourse is thoroughly digested. To employ another figure, when the matter is thoroughly fused in the mind it may be cast by a single turn into the mould, and thus produce a form of uniform quality and just proportions. Whereas to cast a statue little by PERIOD FOR COMrOSITION. 131 littie, or in separate pieces requiring to be snbsethers, as intimated above, treat it as a form or ;esu"xt of mental action covering the entire ground of oratorial preparation ; while a third class speak of it as an "active spring," or "energy of the mind." The first signification is that of the Greek and llo- .man rhetoricians, and partakes of the vagueness which 136 MENTAL POWERS. at their period obscured all pliilosopny : the second involves an equal degree of vagueness from too wide an application ; while the third, which is in itself correct, has hitherto lacked that specific treatment which gives the inventive faculty its just classifica- tion among the recognized powers of tlie intellect. An apology for this neglect may be found in the Divergent iiitlicrto uuscttlcd statc of mcutal science, views. ^j-^(-| ^-[^Q conflicting forms of classification still prevalent among authors on that subject. Indeed, the nature of the subject seems to leave room for a perpetual divergence of views respecting the number and the exact character of the mental powers. Sir William Hamilton says : " Mental powers are not like bodily organs. It is the same simple sub- stance which exerts every energy and every faculty, however various, and wdiich is afi understand or ap- preciate it. OCCASIONS FOR INFORMAL. 1G3 Even on subjects of tliis cliaracter a judicious speaker will commence with elementary views, and proceed by natural gradations to those more abstruse. Hence, although omitting an introduction proper, he uses introductory matter, or matter in an introduc- tory form. In taking soundings of his subject he does not pluno-e into measureless depths -*■ ^ ^ Analogies. at once, but throuo^h the shallows nearest ? CD shore he advances, lengthening his line by de- grees until he measures the deepest waters. As to progress he imitates the locomotive, which does not start off at full speed, but rather by a slow begin ning and measured motion at the introduction of its course gradually attains its full velocity. Another class of circumstances requires, or at least frequently justifies, the omission of any formal intro- duction, and an unceremonious dash into the merits of the question. To this class belong occasions of great excitement, in which both the attention and the feelings of the audience are thoroughly roused. Formal introductions at such times are not only use- less, but injurious, exciting the disgust of the hearers and throwing away the opportunity of the speaker. But even in these cases the speaker should so arrange his matter that he may advance to higher and higher results ; otherwise, striking on too high a key he will be doomed to descend, and perhaps fall flat before reaching his conclusion. Great skill is necessary for successful managemeiH in such cases. Another occasion for omitting a formal introduc- tion is haste, when much is to be said in a little time. This is true of many sermons, but of more exhorta- tions and addresses. Formal introductions in plat- form addresses are usually tedious and inopportune. If employed they should be extremely brief 104 DESIGN G? AN INTRODUCTION. With reference, however, to the sermon generally, as well as to an oration, in ordinary circumstances a formal introduction, or an exordium in proper form, may be considered appropriate, often essential. DESIGX OF AX INTRODUCTION. The design of an introduction is to prepare the mind of the hearer to understand and appreciate the Buhject of a discourse. The terms used in various languages to designate it embody the same idea. Thus prologue, \\\Q2im\\g foreword in the Greek, and exordium or heginning in the Latin, both point to the common necessity which the human mind has, in ordinary circumstances, to be prepared for new thoughts and permanent impressions. This necessity has its basis in our mental constitution. It is also supported by numerous analogies of nature. Thus the dawn introduces the day, the mellow light the blaze of tlie sun, the cloud the storm, the spring the summer, and autumn the winter. Since, therefore, men have a natural shrinking from abruptness, either in manner or in speech, and demand a certain preparation for the influence the orator hopes to exert upon them, the introduction often becomes a very important part of a discourse. It is consequently desirable for the public speaker BO to dispose his thoughts as to use in his introduc- tion only such matter as is strictly adapted to its design. To say first what should be said last or in- termediately is a serious error. KINDS AND QUALITIKS OF INTKODUCTIONS. Hhetoricians have been very minute in their treat- ment of this topic. Whately enumerates five kinds of introductions ; namely, the inquisitive, the para- KINDS AND QUALITIES OF INTRODUCTIONS. 1G5 doxical, the corrective, tlie preparatory, and tlie narrative. He moreover states that two or more of these kinds may be advantageously com- bined. Other writers liave desio-nated introductions as ex- planatory, conciliatory, argumentative, apologetic, etc. The truth is that there is no limit to the va- riety that good speakers may employ in tlie introduc- tions to their discourses. While, therefore, attempts to designate by special terms every style of introduc- tion may savor more of tlie curious than the useful, it is nevertheless highly important that every speaker should seek to acquire the talent of preparing intro- ductions characterized by variety and all other good qualities. Authors have been very profuse in their rules re- specting introductions. Blair and others, following Cicero, have urged that introductions should be, 1. Easy and natural ; 2. Correct, without the appearance of artificiality ; 3. Modest, but dignified; 4. Calm in manner; and, 5. j^ot anticipating any material part of the sub- ject. Claude, with special reference to a sermon, pro- scribes, 1. That the introduction should grow out of the subject and be in harmony with it ; and, 2. That it should conduct the hearers gradually to the topic of discussion. He further enjoins as essential quali- ties of an introduction that it be, 1. Brief; 2. Clear; 3. Cool and grave; 4. Engaging and agreeable; 5. Xaturally connected with the text ; and, C). Sim- ple or literal, not figurative. The same author also censures the use of personal allusions and far-fetched historical statements in an introduction. IGG TUE GRAND ESSENTIAL. Theremin objects urgently to long introductions, especially in sacred oratory. He says : Time spent in merely paving tlie way for the idea (of the dis- course) miglit better be employed in the development of the idea itself. In the second place, the preliminary statements by whicli the oral or would prepare the way for the theme are often, as remote from the minds of the hearers as the theme itself, so that he might just as well emj)loy that as to introduce the former. In the third place, since the mere desire for knowledge should be subordinate to the moral interest, the orator can hardly fail to interest the hearer in his main idea if he connects it immedi- ately with one of the higher moral ideas, namely, truth, happi- ness, or duty, Avhich can be done without a long circumlocu- tion. While some of the above rules are not without im- portant exceptions, yet most of them will prove use- ful to the student, who will in addition be still more profited by such a generalization of the subject as will fi^uide him correctlv without burdeniiio- Ins mind with too many details. The one comprehensive quality suggestive of nearly all minor good qualities, and opposed to the more common vices of an exordium, is pertinence. Pertinence, p . i r> the qualit}^ of strict relevancy or litness. The introduction of a discourse should be pertinent to the text, pertinent to the subject and style of dis- c^ission, pertinent to the occasion and its demands, pertinent to the speaker and the audience, and perti- nent to its own design. This controlling idea of strict pertinency will sometimes suggest the idea of stimu- lating curiosity, sometimes of conciliating prejudice, sometimes of nuiking a brief explanation of the text or context, and so on through the endless variety of possible introductions. The same idea will guard against prolixity, irrelevance, triteness, and other faults. MATERIALS. 1G7 ]\rATERTALS. The materials for introductions are al)iin(laT»t. They may be drawn from the context, from a kin(h-cd subject, from the importance of the sul)ject itself, from an opposite subject by contrast, or from the Burrounding circumstances of speaker or hearers. The chief difficulty is to select rightly, and skillfully adapt the thought chosen to the object in view. As to style, an introduction should never fail to be perspicuous, so that every hearer may comprehend it. Unity in an introduction requires that it embrace but one leading thought, and usually excludes divis ions. The same principle, when applied to the whole discourse, demands that the introduction blend harmoniously with the discussion, and be so naturally and skillfully joined to the argument that it may tend directly to the same result. ORDER OF PREPARATION. It has lono; been tauo:ht, that althouo-h the first to be used, the introduction is the last part of an ora- tion or sermon to be prepared. There may be cases in which this course will secure the best result, but in common practice it is of more than doubtful pro- priety. To say the least, it is unnatural. A better rule is, "Everything in its own order." The course of thought which leads the mind of the speaker to his Bu])ject will usually be the best for his hearers. He Bhould certaiidy claim the right of revision, improve- ment, and even of reconstruction, to the last. But if in commencing the arrangement of a discourse the mind, as it often will, should seize at once upon the appropriate initiatory matter, it is best to consider 1G8 ORDER OF PREPARATION. the introduction provided for, and advance witli a firm tread to tlie argument. A still greater error is that of regarding an intro- introduetiona ductiou as somctliing apart from the dis« should be spe- .ir.! i t* l ciai. course itseli, to be put on or taken ott at pleasure. From this mistaken view arose the prac- tice of preparing introductions of various kinds in advance, from which selections might be made and used from time to time. The absurdity of this prac- tice was illustrated long ago by the custom of those small sculptors who keep lieads ready made, to be fitted on to different bodies as their piece-work statu- ary may be constructed. Every discourse should have its own introduction, and on different occasions the same discourse may require to be differently prefaced. The reader should bear in mind that this subject is here treated under the head of disposition, and that the present work in no case recommends detailed composition in words until the whole thought-work of the discourse is planned. That being done, there appears no valid objection to the subsequent compo- sition of the entire discourse in the appropriate order of its parts. The objection of Cicero, repeated by various writ- ers on the subject from his day to the present, against composing the introduction prior to the argument, is equally valid against the composition of any *rt before the plan of the whole is arranged. Nothing tends more to weakness of structure, ver- bosity of language, and incfiiciency of result than word- composition in advance of well-digested thought-com- position, toward which the act of disposition largely contributes. confused employment of terms. 1 09 § 2. The Argument. As now to be considered, the arguineiit is the body or principal part of a discourse — tliat to whicli the introduction leads and which tlie conclusion folk vvs. Jn cases where formal introductions and conclusic ns_, howe^ er brief, are omitted, it is the discourse itself. CONFUSED EMPLOYMENT OF TERMS. In the treatment of this subject great diversity, and even confusion, appears among writers on homi- letics. Claude, and those wdio have expanded his system, seemed to have overlooked the difference between disposition and division. Mistaking the latter for the former, the less for the greater, they have treated largely of the division of sermons, and with equal impropriety they have confounded the classification of sermons both with division and the various modes of treatment. Witness an extract from Sturtevant, whose work, entitled the Preacher's Manual, is a voluminous commentary on Claude's Essay : Different Methods of Division. — The various kinds of di- vision to which I shall have occasion to advert I will now pre- sent to you. They are textual or topical. The textual are such as fall into, 1. The natural Mnd of division. 2. The accommo- dational. 3. The exjwsitory. 4. The distributive. 5. The regular. 6, The interrogative. 7. The observational. 8. The propositional. 9. That of continued apjylication. The topical kinds of division are extremely numerous. .Reference is here made to the twenty-seven topics of Claude, which correspond in design with the twenty-eight Zoci communes, or commonplaces ot Aristotle. Intermiuo-led with his treatment of his 170 IMPEKFECT SCHEMES. niultitiidinous kinds of division, tliis autlior speaks of " propositional discourses" and "descriptive dis- courses." Other authors speak of textual discourses and topical discourses ; as though the mere form of division were any just basis for the classification of discourses. The Rev. Daniel Moore, " in order to guard against disorderly sermonizing," enumerates witliout refer- ence to division " ten methods of discussion :" 1. By direct illustration. 2. By implication. 3. Observa- tion. 4. Confirmation. 5. The ar^-umentative meth- od. 6. By the didactic method. 7. Investigation. 8. Perpetual application. 9. Antithesis or contrast. 10. By a method partly discussional and partly hortatory. Although presenting very just views on most sub- jects, this author seems to have no just conception of a systematic classification of sermons. He treats as supplemental topics of " Expository preaching," "Sermons to children," "Sermons for charitable occasions," and " Open-air preaching," showing that he has no place for them in his classification. Another class of writers, for example, Gresley in England, followed by Bipley in Kew England, have taken the opposite but equally unphilosophical course of dividing all sermons into two classes, namely, text-sermons and subject-sermons. The basis of tliis distinction is nothing more nor less than the difter- ence between textual and topical division. Its absurdity is seen in the implied supposition that a text-sermon may be without a subject and a subject- sermon without a text, whereas every proper sermr*^ has both a text and a subject. TEXT AND SUBJECT. ITl PROPER RELATIONS OF THE TEXT AND SUI5JECT. To reduce tins whole matter to an intelligible and 6ysteiiiatic form, let attention be first directed to the difference between the text and the theme of a ser- mon. The text should always contain the specific theme of any sermon based upon it. But most texts contain more themes than one, and the preacher should determine which particular theme contained in the text or suggested by it he will treat in any particular sermon. Thus the text, '' God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," (John iii, 16,) contains various important themes. Some of them may be thus stated : a. God's great love for the world. h. God's gift of his only begotten Son to save sinners. c. God's gift of eternal life through the Son of his love. d. The perishing condition of the w^orld without a Saviour. e. The necessity of faith in Christ as a means ol salvation. JN^ow whichever of these or of other topics con- tained in the text is selected by the preacher for any given occasion, becomes the theme or subject of his discourse. To that specific subject his introduction should lead, and his treatment or discussion of that subject becomes the argument of his sermon. In the case of an expository discourse, in which he seeks to give an exegesis of all that the text contains, his sub- ject should be stated in a generalization so broad as to include all the minor topics. For other objects, a 172 TABULAR VIEW. generalization of a more specific character, usually bringing out some one of the minor topics, will be in place. But whatever be the subject and design ot the discourse should be clearly apprehended from the beginning of one's preparation. From the different classes of subjects and the cor- responding designs of sermons, arise certain differ- ent kinds of discussion or modes of treatment. Each of these kinds of discussion may sometimes require a division of the subject, while at other times the sub- ject may be more satisfactorily discussed without any formal division. If division is thought desirable, choice may be made between textual and topical, in each of which one of several practicable kinds may be found preferable. To guard against misconception in the use of terms that have been so often and so long employed without a just perception of their relations to each other the followino; taljular mew is introduced : TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE involve The Subjects of Sermons. IN THE ARGUMENT, or development of tlie subject, kinds of discussion, f V S^:?^':^^^^^^^:, Subjects may have various or 2. Observational. 3. Propositioiial. modes of treatment ; (^ ^^ Applicatory. fl. Textual^ \\. Natural, (2. Analytical, ^3. Synthetical Either KIND OF DISCUSSION may be con- j :f'rp . , dno.t.nd 1.^ ''nr wiMlnllt.^ T)i.riRin)i. ^ ^. Jopicao, ducted bj (or without) Dicision. 1.) B^' analysis, 2.) relations, o.) illustration, 4.) exhibition of motives, 5.) statement of proofs. Whatever form of sermon is thus produced may be classified, not according to the mode of treatment THE SERMON AS A WHOLE. 173 Adopted or tlie style of division employed, but accord- ing to the subject and design of the discourse as a whole. Thus sermons maybe classified as 1. Exposi tovy, 2. Hortatory. 3. Doctrinal. 4. Practical. 5. Miscellaneous. From the above it will be seen that modes of treatment are subordinate to subjects, and styles of division are subordinate to modes of treatment ; while the classification of sermons rises hiii^iier than all these, and is controlled by a combined view of their subject and design. The following is a tabulated view of the sermon as a whole, showing the mutual relation of all its parts : The SERMON embraces The TEXT, The INTRODUCTION, The ARGUMENT, and the CONCLUSION. Tjie INTRODUCTION leads from the text to the argument. The ARGUMENT develops the subject by discussion, often facili- tated by division. The argument is supplemented, applied, or followed by The CONCLUSION. The distribution of matter, Avith reference to its adaptation to the several parts, is the task of disposi- tion. Tlie office of disposition, .as applied to the argument, is to determine on the kind of discussion and the style of division that may be most appro- priately employed. To promote facility in deciding on these points, some further considerations will be presented in ref- erence to the nature and importance of the argument of a discourse. It should be borne in mind that the term argument, in a rhetorical sense, is generic, embracing the idea of logical argument as a species. \yhately says: "The art of inventing and arranging (disposing) arguments is the immediate and j)roper 174 MODES OF DISCUSSIOX. province of rlietoric, and of that alone. The business of logic is to judge of arguments, not to invent them." DIFFEREXT MODES OF DISCUSSION DISTINGUISHED. Khetorical address always contemphites ijifluenee upon the mind of the hearers. A clear Essential object. . , , n i • n conception oi the nature oi the iniiuence to be produced is a prime essential to the mind uf the speaker. Kext to that is a knowledge of the means best adapted to produce the influence desired. Vagueness in conceiving of an explicit object for any sermon will lead to looseness of construction and inefficiency of result. Dullness in the invention, and unskillfulness in the disposition of materials, conduce to a similar end. Preachers should, therefore, accus- tom themselves to see the end from the beginning of their seruions, and to make all their preparations converge to a given point, and that point the im- pression of truth or duty on the minds of their hearers. "With reference to the ancient division of oratory into three kinds, deliberative, judicial, and demon- strative, Aristotle showed that each kind had its specific end. He said : " That of the statesman is utility ; that of the pleader, justice ; whereas (/lori/ occupies almost solely the wide field of demonstra- tion or panegyric." When now we consider the end of the Gospel ministry to rise higher than all these secular ends, and to contemplate nothing less than the salvation of the souls of men, we perceive the ultimate object at which every sermon should aim. But as there are various steps intermediate to the attainment of this ultimate object, the preacher may primarily con- template either the declaration and illustration of tho NATUKE OF THE TREACHER'S WORK. 175 truth of revelation, or tlie persuasion of men to its experience and practice ; or, indeed, such a combina- tion of declaration, ilhistration, and persuasion as may result most favorably in the immediate or ulti- mate welfare of his hearers. The preacher's work differs from that of the secular orator, or that of the mere rhetorician, in that he is fur- nished authoritatively with the burden of his message. Having, then, his message given him in the word proper of God, his primary task may be announced ™^''^' as that of explanation^ designed to make plain to his hearers the truth of revelation. The field covered by explanation is very broad. As treated in a recent practical work on rhetoric, it includes narration, description, analysis, exemplification, comparison, and contrast. In homiletics it is cpiite as well to con- fine the term explanation to its direct and primary signification, and according to established custom introduce, as the preacher's second task, observation. Observation is employed as a means of illustrating truths which are obvious or familiar, but which nevertheless need to be presented in new combina- tions and for special objects. Again, many of the truths which the preacher has to announce are controverted, and he has to demon- Btrate them by reasoning and testimony. Hence, as all formal reasoning demands a proposition and proofs, we have as another kind of discussion the ^ropositional. Finally, as in preaching nothing avails which is not brought home to the conscience and life of the hearers, a fourth form of discussion arises, which is called the applicatory ^ or that of con- tinued application. Which of these kinds of discussion should be em« ployed in a sermon may be determined in view of, ITG MODES OF TREATMENT. 1. Tlie nature of tlie subject. 2. Tlie character of the audience. 3. The special design of the discourse. In reference to the first point it is obvious that obscure and difficult subjects require explanation, and also that many plain subjects need to be made plainer and more familiar by means of observation. Again, if the subject be involved in doubt or con- troversy, it may often be most appropriately dis- cussed under the logical form of proposition and proof, while subjects of a deeply-affecting and praC' tical character are suited to progressive oi continued application. Again, a subject that would demand explanation or proof before one audience, may be adapted to the most direct application when presented to another. Finally, sermons on the same subject and to the same audience may differ greatly in their design. For instance, it would be pi-oper to treat before any congregation the subject of faith in a series of dis- courses on the following themes, adapted to call out in turn the four principal kinds of discussion : 1. The nature of faith. 2. The happy influence of faith on the Christian life. 3. The reasonableness of faith as a condition of salvation. 4. The duty and necessity of believing. It is not necessary that the several kinds of dish cussion be kept strictly separate from each otlier^ nor is it asserted that they cover every form of rhe- torical development. It is sufficient to present them as the leading practical modes of treatuient. and to illustrate them severally in ordex'. EXPLANATORY. 177 EXPLAXATORY DISCUSSIOX. The term explanatory is preferred in tliis conneetion to explicatorii^ as used bj Claude and Yinet, and to expository^ as employed by some others. Both tltese terms are too limited in their sio-niiication for "generic ase. The first, according to its etymology, (L. ex- jylicare^) signifies unfolding that which is bound together or intricate. Expository, from exponere^ to lay out, applies by specific use to laying out or ex- pounding the meaning of the Scriptures. The term explanatory includes both these meanings, and still more. It indicates not only the design of making plain the word of Grod, but also the various subjects appropriately related to it. Direct explanation is specially applicable to difii' cult texts and to doctrines, both of which need to be placed before the minds of the people in all the light and plainness of the truth. In treating easy texts a sufi^cient exposition may often be given in the introduction, but in many pas- sages of the Bible there is a deep meaning which can only be broiiglit out by full and explicit presentation after long and careful study. No preacher will wish to be constantly reiterating familiar truths, but rather will often desire to make plain to *his hearers the " deep things of God." For this object patient investigation, and industri- ous labor to interpret correctly and express worthily "the mind of the Spirit," will need to be the rule of his ministerial life. A few cautions will be appropriate as to the fj*ame of mind with which we should approach tlie expla- nation of the Scriptures. 1. Wc should avoid magnifying difiiculties, lest we 12 178 MODES OF EXrr.ANATIOX. discourage our licarers and make tliem dread rather tlian love the study of tlie word of God. 2. AVe should equally avoid overlooking or slight- ing difficulties, but should fairly state and candiil}' explain those that we attempt to treat. 3. AVe should not pretend to discover new and rare meanings in every text that we endeavor to expound, lest we seem to be aiming at a display of our learn- ing ur ingenuity. Rather, we should devoutly and reverently take tlie divine word as we find it, and by modest but earnest and prayerful efforts strive to bring its utmost, or at least its most important meaning to the understand ing and hearts of our hearers. DEriNlTlON. The first subject of explanation in a text is its terms. These should be defined and illustrated as modestly and pertinently as possible. It is desirable to av^oid any parade of etymological lore in the pul- pit, although it may be sometimes necessary to state briefly the derivation of words, or their precise mean- ing in the origin. al. As a general rule, it is better to illustrate their signification by reference to their uses in Scri})ture and common language. Fi'om the explanation of terms we proceed to tliat of things, or the subject of discourse. Sometimes "a sid)ject may be approached negatively, by showing what it is not, or by removing erroneous conceptions with reference to it. I*r()p()sing to treat a subject affirmatively, the preacher has at his command either direct statement or the various resources of division ; for details of which, with illustrative examples, the reader is le- ferred to the ensuing chapter. DESCRIPTION. 170 In explanatory discourse, the object being to inform and instruct, it is essentially important to secure the attention of tlie minds addressed. This must be done by the presentation of agreeable images in a pleasing order NARRATION". Events are explained by narration, which is a con- tinuous statement of facts, real or imagined, either in the order of time or of cause and effect. Not only events, but many abstract and spiritual subjects, may be treated in conformity with the laws of succession or of causal sequence. DESCRIPTION. Description is another form of explanation in which subjects are represented under the relations of space. Material objects exist in space, and are therefore the subjects of direct description. An example may be quoted from Psalm xlviii, 2 : " Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north." Spiritual subjects may be conceived of under relations analogous to those of space. Thus the Revelator, portraying the future glory of the redeemed Church, says : " I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God .out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." It is essential in description that the view presented DC continuous. The principle of iuxtaposi- ,. , ^, ^ ^ / ^x • Continuity tion must govern the arrangement ot topics. That is, topics must be described in the order of their connection, and the point of commencement should be taken with reference to continuous and instructive progression. ISO EXEMrLIFICATlOX. In order to a vivid description the speaker mnst liave before liis mind a clear conception Vivid conception. r> ^ t • ^ iiit -n 01 the object he wonid denneate. JLs- peciallj is it important to all who wonld succeed in portraying abstract snbjects clearly before the mind? of others, first to array them with great clearness of outline before their own mental view. EXEMPLIFICATION. Exemplification is another process of explanation by which a whole theme is represented through some one of its parts as an example. Exemplification con- ducts the hearer from the known to the nnknown, and enables liim by easy advances to reach high and definite conceptions of very difiicult or abstruse sub jects. In this w^ay general truths are made familial by reference to particular truths already comprehend ed, and the great laws of nature and providence b;) instances of every-day observation. Skill and good taste should always be manifest in tlie selection of examples, so that hearers may be af the same time interested and instructed. Historical examples are of great value in exempli- fying the character and results of human actions. The parables of our Lord illustrate nearly every principle tauglit in the present chapter. Desiring to explain to his disciples the principles of trutU and righteousness, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, he taught them in parables. lie thus embodied in liis explanatory discourses definition, narration, de- scription, and exemplification. Explanatory discussion may sometimes be appro- priately blended with propositional. For instance, the preacher may explain an entire paragraph or cliapter, and after due attention to the terms and OBSERVATIONAL DISCUSSION. ISl minor details, may appropriately condense into one or more propositions the principal teachings of the passage. While explanatory treatment is specially adapted to expository disconrse, it may also be fitly employed in doctrinal and practical sermons. For example, a preacher selects the doctrine of Christian perfection, or that of the atonement, as his theme in a congrega- tion where the doctrines are theoretically received but imperfectly understood. It is obvious that ex- planation would be his principal task. Again, he may think it proper to discuss the duty of brotherly love in a congregation where no one doubts the obligation or the importance of that duty, but where many fail rightly to comprehend the na- ture and the special application of it. In this case equally his task is that of explanation, and to that the argument or bod}^ of his discourse should be de- voted. Where the different kinds of discussion are more or less combined, that which predominates w^ill govern the classification. OBSERVATIONAL DISCUSSION. The observational mode of treatment was largely and prominently developed by Claude, and since his day has been extensively practiced by English and American preachers. His hints respecting it are practically these : Observational discussion is applicable to, 1. Clear texts, which do not require explanation ; that is, in its proper sense of having difiiculties or obscurities removed. 2. Historical subjects. 3. Observations may be appropriately mingled 182 RULES AND EXAMPLES. with cxplaTiations. In tliat case explanations have precedence. 4. Observations should be theological or reliii:ioii5, as opposed to the merely historical, critical, or phil- osophical. 5. They should neither be scholastic nor common- place, but dignified, urbane, and adapted to the com- prehension of the people. 6. They should not be dry, spiritless, or formal. The last three remarks are equally applicable to every other style of treatment. As an examj^le of observational discussion upon a plain text, the following outline plan is adduced from Beddome : Text. Acts ix, 14: Saul, Saul, why persecutest tliou me? Subject. SauVs Auakening. I. It is the general character of unconverted men to he of u persecuting spirit. II. Christ has liis eye upon persecutors. III. The kindness or injury done to liis people Christ considers done to himself. IV. Christ's call to the persecutor was to convince him of sin as the first step to conversion. V. The calls of Oirist are earnest and particular- "Saul Saul ?" VI. Christ condescends to reason witli Saul: "Why persecut- est thou ?" etc. This style of discussion admits of a greater enumer- ation of particulars than any other, and yet it needs to bo guarded by careful attention to the following rules : 1. Let the a])plicati()n of the several observations to the subject in hand be obvious. 2. Let them have unity and converge to a given point, 80 as to make a forcible impression. HISTORICAL SUBJECTS. l83 ()bs''*vatlonal treatment unskillfully employed l)e- cumes puerile; used with discretion and ingenuity it oecomes liigldy interesting. The undivided essay Btyle of many modern sermons is an abuse, or at best a poorly managed excess of observational discussion. It rambles hither and thither, having no apparent object in view, and accomplishing nothing beyond the stringing together of an indefinite number of inorganic miscellanies. No small ridicule has been expended upon those punctilious old preachers who occasionally reached their fifty-sixthly, and in one case, it is said, even his one hundred and seventy- sixthly; but even their error, if they maintained a logical connection of ideas, was not more gross than that of ignoring connection altogether. Let those who treat subjects observationally beware of rambling and incoherence. Another example is subjoined to illustrate the application of this kind of discussion to historical subjects. The aim of the preacher in all such plans should be to eliminate principles of truth and deduce prac- tical admonitions from each prominent fact in the course of the history. Text. 1 Kings xv, 34: And lie did evil in the siglit of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin where- "Rith he made Israel to sin. SUBJECT. The Power and Consequences of Ec'd Example, IxTiionucTiox. The early history of Jeroboam. Observation 1. His political success was followed by an ambition to perpetuate his sovereignty. Possessed c f tliis be became unscrupulous. Cliap. xii, 20. 2. He made a plan to subvert the religion of his country. He set up idolatrous establishments, and induced a compliance of the people with his iniquity, xii, 2Y-33. 184 rKOPOSITIOXAL DISCL'SSION. 3 He encountered fearful r'.'bukes fit the hand of tlie Lord, xiii, 1-6; xiv, 7-16. 4. He at lenijjth died in defeat by providential visitation. 2 Chron. xiii, 15-20. Also within a year his son and family were slain by one who had followed his own idolatrous example. 5. Notwithstanding these terrible judgments his example waa followed by the kings of Israel (including Baasha) for two cen- turies and a half, until the sins of the nation had provoked God to utterly overthrow and scatter so corru[)t and rebflliuus u people. Coxci.usiox. The danger and responsibility of persons m authority. The ruinous and endless consequences of causing others to sin. rKOrOSTTIOXAL DISCUSSION. This mode of treatment requires the princiytal truths of the text or subject to be stated iu the form of one or more propositions for demonstration. It appeals to the reasoning faculties of an audience, and demands connected argumentation from the speaker. It applies especially to the refutation of errors, the establishment of truth, the confirmation of faith, and the proof and enforcement of duties. It involves the ■or ^ . ♦« riffht use of all the material of loo-ic. It K«efcrence to o o logic. emplo^^s every species of evidence, whether of testimony, of experience, of authority, of probabil- ity, or of analogy. It addresses every form of motive. The theory of argumentation is so fully developed in works on logic and rhetoric as not to require minute statement here. It may be well, however, to observe that in all our pulpit reasonings we should aim to be models of candor, never attem])t- ing to pass oif ibr sound arguments those which are weak or B})Ccious. A prime requisite in this kind of discussion is clearness of staicmcnt. Prop- ositions should be brief and tranei^arent, seldom if ever couched in loni;; or involved sentences. An EXAMPLES. 185 old maxim relating to this subject deserves to be held in perpetual remembrance. State your propo- tiition dearly and prove \t powerfully ; then you will be prepared to persuade impressively. Example of treatment with a single proposition : Text. Psa. xiv, 1 : The fool luitli said iu liis heart, There is no Govl. Subject. The Absurdity of Atlieism. That atheism is absurd is i)roved, 1. By its assertion that creation is witliout a cause. 2. By its contradiction of the universal consciousness of men. 3. By its being the utterance only of the heart (not the judg- ment) even of fools. An example of two consecutive propositions from Claude : Text. Bom. viii, 13: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of tho body, ye shall live. Subject. The Death and Life of the Soul. I. The damnation of sinners is inevitable. II. A life formed by the Spirit of holiness cannot fail to issue in eternal happiness. Sometimes this kind of discussion calls out a reo-u- o lar series of propositions, each successive member of the series bearing more and moi^e forcibly upon the point to which it is designed tu carry the hearer's eonvictions. The following is an example from Rev. J, Parsons, an English preacher of celebrity : Text. Luke xvi, 27-31 : Dialogue between the rich man and A.braham. Subject. The Claimfi of Revealed Truth. Inteoductiox. The narrative applied to an illustration of our futr.re ntate. T. There exists a revelation from God, designed for the guid- ance and salvation of man. JI. This revelation is fully qualified to accomplish tlie purpose for which it was given. Non-essentials. ISG RHETORICAL RULES. ITT. On tlie rejection -of revelation it is n(»t to be ex;iert,ed tliat any supernatural visitations would produce a saving ini- I^ression on the heart. TV. The rejection of divine revelation is the cause of future condemnation and misery. In this style of treatment it is not necessary to notify your hearers in advance of the object contemplated in your discussion. You may argue inductively, and state your result at the conclusion of your argument. Such a result would be eminently proper where prejudices would be excited by a premature announcement of youi proposition. jS'either is it essential to number your arguments and state them in a formal manner. Nevertheless, it is essential to arrange them properly as well as state them clearly, since the force of reasoning depends hardly less on the order than on the matter of proofs. The rules of rhetoricians on this subject usuall;y make tlie following points: 1. Avoid blending arguments that are distinct in their nature. 2. Let aro:uments of different de2:rees of streufrtli advance in the order of climax. 3. Display clearly and distinctly arguments that are strong and conclusive ; those that aro doubtful may run into one another for mutual support. 4. Do not extend arguments too far, nor multiply them too mucli. Day, in his Elements of Rhetoric, states the prin- ciples involved in the subject in terms specially worthy of attenticm : The arran;i;ement of arfjuments depends mainly on two prin- ciples. The first respects the state of mind addressed. The second respects the dependence of proofs on one another. ARRANGEMENT OF ARGUMENT. 187 In reference to the first, if tliere be already a state of beliet, •ind the object of the discourse is to confirm and strenf^tlien it, then tlie weaker arguments will generally need to be placed first and tlie stronger ones last. If there be an opposing belief to be set aside it will be better to advance the stronger first, in order to overthrow oppositicm at once. The weaker may follow, which may serve to confirm, though they would be of no avail in the first assault. In order to leave, however, a strong impression, some of the stronger should be reserved to the close, or, what is equivalent, the argu- ments recapitulated in the reverse order. In reference to the second principle, some proofs are explained by others, which nuist be previously exhibited in order to the fnll effect of the reasoning. Soiue proofs presuppose others. Some have great weight if preceded by certain others, and are of little moment unless preceded by them. This ])rinciple requires, in the first place, that analytic proofs precede all others; in the second place, that arguments of ante- cedent probability precede examples and signs. It is quite possible to lessen the popular estimation of prepositional discussion by technical formalities or by excessive use. Nevertheless, its intrinsic value is verj^ great. AYhen Paul, though a prisoner, stood before Felix and reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judg- ment to come, Felix trembled. Let tliere be more tliorough and solid reasoning in our pulpits of the present day on the great and impressive themes of the Gospel, and fewer pretty orations, popular essays, and commonplace exhortations, and more sinners will be convinced and made to tremble and bow be- fore the majesty of truth. Al'FLlCATORY DISCUSSION. This is one of the most important forms of pulpil address, and that for which much of the preceding instruction is preparatory. "The distinctive agency 188 APPLia\TORY DISCUSSION of the orator," says Theremin, " consists in giving a powerful impulse and diioction to the mind, and he is not equal to this unless the goal to which he would direct them is plainly in his eye, and nnless he earnestly desires to reach it himself." If this be the characteristic of oratory, as dis- tinguished from poetry and all those branches of litera- ture which merely aim to please or to entertain, it is emphatically true of preaching, which, more than any other branch of oratory, demands positive influ- ence, both moral and spiritual, as its result. An explanation may make a truth very intelli- gible, an observation may sliow^ it to be interesting and important, a well-argued proposition may dem- onstrate it beyond controversy, and yet a special application maj- be necessary to bring it home to the heart and conscience of the hearer. Explanation may exhibit the learning or good understanding of the preacher ; observation may indicate his wisdom and argumentation his talent; but without close and direct address he will make but a poor Direct address. t n i ^ • <• • i» r^i • • and leeble manifestation ot Christian feeling. Iso sermon can be expected to answer any high religious end without direct address in some form. Sermons constructed rigidly on either of the fore- going modes of treatment should make their applica- tion in the conclusion. Perorations require api)lica- tory address throughout. But there is oftentimes dringer of failure in withholding the application of truth too long. Its edge may be blunted by suspense, and its glowing, burning power may cool off with delay. AVhat is ])crhaps worse, if the a})plication is habitually reserved for the conclusion, wary hearers, to whom severe truth is unacceptable, also form the AS A LEADING IDEA. 189 habit of evading its power. It is tlie office of emo- tion as well as of judgment to induce decisions of the will ; and as mental acts are closely related to each other, if not concurrent, the preacher must ever be on. the alert for the golden nioment of persuasion. Whatever mode of treatment predominates in a well-planned discourse may frequently require to have direct address intermingled with it, a)id tlie skill of the preacher is indicated by his capacity to inter- blend it in fitting proportions. Applicatory discussion fuses readily with each of the other kinds. For ex ample, when we explain the meaning of a given text, how natural and appropriate to apply, at least briefly or by inference, that meaning to the condition and immediate duties of our hearers. When we make an observation upon Scripture truth, or upon man's rela- tions, as indicated by the word of God, how fitting is it also to apply the moral lesson to personal obliga- tion and the circumstances which surround us. Again, when we prove a Scripture doctrine or duty, how essential is it to show its application to the daily life of our hearers, and not to leave them to vague infer- ences or unguided conjectures. But in addition to these uses of direct address, there are many cases in which it should predominate — should itself take the lead, and employ explanation, observation, and argumentation, one or all, as sub- Bidiaries. Such is generally the case in hortatory ser- mons. The Bible abounds in direct address. It sjjecially and repeatedly addresses persons, characters, Churches, communities, and nations. It therefore becomes the preacher often to take up the word of God in this form, and to echo it in the name and authority of the divine Master to the hearts and consciences of men. lUO EXAMPLE. Important TliG coiitiiuiccl application of Cliristian truth object. -g Q^^^ ^j.' ^j^g noblest results to wliicli a pi-(\a(*lier can hope to attain. It inv^olves engao;ing both the attention and the feelings of an audience from the tirst, and maintaining an increasing interest in tlie subject to the last. AVhoevcr can thus brins: the truth into livino; con- tact with the souls of men may be sure that it will perform its own office upon them. To encourage practice in applicatory discussion a plain example is subjoined. Text. Acts xvii, 30: But now coramfindcth all men eveiy where to repent. Subject. The Duti/ of Bepentance. I. The present audience is inchided in this command. " All men every where." IT. The duty of repentance is to every one of ns essential to salvation. God commands it in this and other Scri()tures. III. The imperative duty of every sinner is to repent "now." This example shows that applicatory address may appropriately assume the form of a series of observa tions or propositions in which the first makes a direct appeal to the hearer, and each succeeding one presses that appeal with augmented force. But it is not limited to any set forms. Indeed, it may often be accomplished almost unconsciously to the hearer. In numerous cases this is the better w^ay, since many hearei's shrink away from the form of di- rect address. Hence the i)reacher should Hum needed. . .... , ,. seek to interest men m rengious truth tor the truth's sake, even though they are not interested ill i-eligiun for its intrinsic importance or in view of their own welfare. Such persons may often be led gently along toward the cross, and by degrees they may be prepared for all GENEEALITIES POWERLESS. IIU tlic soleniiiities of direct appeal with reference to life, deatli, the judgment, and eternity. A skillful prcac.-h- er, contemplating this style of address, Avill always Beek to have the way duly prepared for it, whether in one or many discourses. The Lack of such a preparation will sometimes neu- tralize the influence of a sermon which would have been at the appropriate moment greatly efficacious for good. While, therefore, the great necessity of direct ap- plication is urged, its skillful use should be deemed equally important. The gentle shower prepares the way for the heavy rain. So the preacher, from indi- rect and informal applications of truth, should rise gradually to the point where, if necessary, his hearers will welcome the driving storm, and not be startled witli even the rushing tempest. The style of discussion now commended rejects vague generalities; for, as Jeremy Taylor says, "gen- erals not explicated do fill people's heads with empty notions, and their mouths with perpetual unintelligi- ble talk, but their hearts remain empty and them- selves are not edified." Hence the preacher who would apply his subject must be specific, and often minute, in detail. He should seek the golden mean between vulgarity and an affected indifference to the common realities of life. Like the apostle, he should use great plainness of speech, and yet he should care- fully maintain both the dignity of his subject and of Lis office. In all circumstances let him avoid personalities. To quote again from Bishop Taylor in his advice to his clergy : "In the reproof of sin be as particular as you please, and spare no man's sin, but meddle with no manV person ; neither name any man, nor siguify 192 THE TIMP:S demand riKECTNESS. him, nor cause liim to be suspected. He that docth otherwise maketh his sermon a libel, and the ministry of repentance an instrument of revenge, and in so doing he shall exasperate the man, but never amend tlie sinner." For lack of that just combination of skillfulness and faithfulness which the preaching of the Gospel requires, the pulpit has been rendered comparatively powerless during whole ages of its history. For suc- cessive centuries it was shackled with scholastic forms, trite in subject and wearisome in manner. The re- action against forms and enumerated points has not unfrequently degenerated into irrelevance and feeble- ness. With dull and pointless preaching religion has invariably declined ; while reformations have ever followed a direct and pungent utterance of evangel- ical truth. Indeed, directness in preaching is the only just ex- ponent of evangelical doctrine or of true religious feel- ing. This quality of preaching was specially charac- teristic of the Wesleyan reformation, and during the last hundred years it has become widely diffused throughout Protestant Christendom. Breaking over the hoary restraints of scholasticism, it has disturbed the torpor of spiritual death, and roused the world to a new religious activity. The age in Avhich we live, more than any preced- ing one, demands direct address on religious subjects^ In the bustle and excitements of the present day, and especially in our own country, men have neither timo nor disposition for vague hints or round-about com- munications on any subject, and especially on a sub- ject to which, though they perceive its importance, tliey have a natural and habitual disinclination. Con- Bcijuently the American preacher especially has need THE TIMES DEMAND DIRECTNESS. 103 to study botli directness of thought and of "utterance in order reasonably to cherish the most distant hope of success.^' Some there maj^ he, even in tliese times, who go throngli a certain routine of pulpit and pastoral serv- icu without even sufficiently waking up to think wliat their responsil)ilities do most demand ; others content themselves with preparing brilliant essays ^^od's message and fine orations for pulpit delivery; but ^^ ^^i^^c*^- the true preacher must feel that he has a message from God to the souls of the people, and must be studious of the most effective manner of its pre- sentation. "Whatever his particular subject may be, he will not feel that his work with it is done until he has in such a manner applied it to the people as to alarm their fears, quicken their hopes, excite their devotions, and prompt their religious efforts. In this great work he will find tliat however much the mind may be enlightened and the judgment regu- lated in other ways, the persuasion of direct address must be employed to control the will and the affec- tions. Indeed, the superiority of persuasion li.as been conceded in all ao^es. The ancients reo-arded it as embodying so nearly the whole of the orator's work that they defined oratory to be the art of persuasion. Certainly its application to Christianity does not detract from this its essential feature. True Chris- tian ministers in all ages can say with the apostle, * Vinet "well says : " The use of the allocutive form, or that of direct fiddriss to the hearers, is a means of retaining the direct style. Without this a discourse is not a discourse, but a book. The use of tliis form compels us constantly to recur to the direct style, which is the truly pow- erful, truly oratorical style. For two reasons I commend this i'orw. : first, because the constant use of it will make you almost sure of attain- ing the direct style, which is so rare and so difficult ; next, because in discourse properly so called it is the only true form, and whatever ia Aidse is feeble." — iSM/mer'i Travdatiov^ p. 451. 13 19tt CIIRISTIAX TERSUASION. " Knowinn: therefore tlie terrors of the Lord, we ])ersiiade men."" AVliat a vast and important field opens before them Thcfieidofper- ^^r this work of persuasion ! The son- euaaion. sciouce, the Will, tlio aiFections, and the passions of men are the legitimate objects of their ud dress. They may by a right use of the material giv- en them arouse fear and inspire hope, they may ex- cite love to God and Christ and men. They may excite the highest and noblest joys, and promote with in the souls of their fellow-mortals every Christiau grace and virtue. To such a glorious work the truths of the Gospel are perfectly adapted. They are sufficient for all the varying circumstances, wants, trials, hopes and fears, sympathies and responsibilities of men. But in order to use them with due efi'ect, a deep and heartfelt experience in the things of God is es- sential to the Christian minister. This alone enables liim to speak, as the common phrase has it, ''''from the heart to the heart." Scarcely less does a minister need, as a means of successful direct address, a large practical acquaintance with mankind. AVithout it iie will be in danger of perpetual mistake. He needs not only to study his own heart, as did Massillon, but to study his congregation and the community in which he lives, their modes of thought, feeling, excuse, and temptation. With these prerequisites he may undertake often, and in all its forms, the applicator}^ treatment of tlio various appropriate themes of his ministry. NATURE AND IMrORTANCE OF PRAXIS. 196 CHAPTER VIII. HOMILETICAL PRAXIS ON THE ARGUMENT. NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF PRAXIS. Students in lioiniletics slioiild not content them- selves with merely comprehending a correct theory for the construction of sermons. Tliey should make themselves familiar by repeated practice with tlie va- rious kinds of discussion, and also with the styles of division which logicians and orators liave elaborated as a means of developing and impressing truth. Praxis for this object, as in mathematical studies, is to be commended as an excellent mental discipline, and if extended over a variety of forms and contin- ued for a sufficient length of time will secure to tlie intending preacher a facility of invention and dis- position which will be an invaluable aid to him in the composition of sermons. A lack of the necessary instruction and drill at this point has caused many well-meaning men to be mis- erably dependent on others for the plans of their ser- mons. It is this which has created a demand for books of skeletons, and has caused thousands of ])reachers to content themselves with being mere copyists, not to say plagiarists, when they ought to have been both independent and progressive in their capacity of sermonizing. The object of the present chapter is to furnish an outline of example and practice from which a student may acquire a correct knowledge of the principles mvol^ed in practical disposition, and may thus be 19G IMrORTANCE DF PKAXIS. enabled to employ technical forms correctly when it is desirable to use them, and also to know when to dispense with them to advantage. It is a blind prejudice that would enjoin a total rejection of forms because forms have been abused ; Proper use of ^'^^^ ^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^^ sorvility that will ensjHve forms. itself to forius for forms' sake. A good mechanic needs to kn^w tlie use of every tool belong- ing to his craft, and yet H is possible that the best mechanics will use the fewest implements. So every one in the Gospel ministry desiring to become a workman that needeth not to be ashamed should en- deavor to acquaint himself with all the agencies that have contributed to excellence in preaching, that he may employ them readily whenever they may sub- serve a good purpose, or lay them aside gracefully whenever he can attain a better result without them.* In practical sermonizing the process of invention in outline, as heretofore described, is first in order, as a means of ascertaining the fruitfulness of a subject and the most available lines of thought. Next in order, and the first legitimate work of disposition, is * To corroborate the position taken in this chapter, and ilhistrate tlie importance of homiletical praxis, the following extract is condensed and copied from Vinct's remarks on Self-culture with reference to di'f the mdividual and manifold." In homiletics it is the deduction of a specific theme from a text of Scripture. In its broadest sense, and generally for the purpose of exposition, it seeks the meanino; of the text as a whole. Disreo-ardins; for the time those differences which may exist in the ele- ments of a passage, it proceeds to group together all its essential ideas, and to condense them into a compre- liensive form of statement denominated a categorical or direct proposition. For the pui'pose of deducing specific themes adapted to topical preaching minor generalizations may be made, as shown on page lYl, chapter vii. INTothing is so indispensable to unity as this prac- tice of generalization. If attended to in Essential to its proper order it prescribes the just limits '^^^^ of a discourse, and often suggests its most appropriate mode of treatment. If omitted, then the preparation is likely to become vague, and generalization will with difiiculty be applied afterward. In the neglect of this simple but fundamental principle, thousands of so-called sermons have been preached, of which it w^ould puzzle both preacher and hearers to name the exact subject. It is therefore recommended as an invariable rule to employ generalization upon the text as a primary process of disposition, and as a means of fixing upou tiie precise subject of the sermon ])roposed. 198 DIVISION. DIVISION. When tlie subject is determined upon, and tlie kind ^f discussion cliosen, tlie next step in order is analy- sis, which is practically equivalent to division. As heretofore explained, disposition arranges the whole matter of a sermon from the introduction to the conclusion. Division is applied in the construc- tion and disposition of the argument. Partition, as used by the ancients, was the formal statement of division, in which sense there is no longer any use for the term. Some modern writers have sou2:ht to assio-n it to an office coordinate with division, in the idea that division separates a theme into similar parts and partition into constituent parts. In other words, they would have division divide and partition subdivide. This is to maintain a distinction without an essential difference. It is better to say that division both divides and subdivides. Hence in this work, division will be treated as a single topic, and if the term partition be used it will be as a synonym of division. Division for rhetorical purposes is practically a Amodeofdef- systciuatic luodc of definition. It shows inition. ^-jg ^yiiat belongs to a subject by bringing into distinct view its several elements. The process of division is exactly opposite to that of generaliza- tion. Generalization disregards the differences be- tween individual parts or elements, and embraces only the properties they have in common. Division resolves the generalization into individual parts, and Bets forth their respective differences. As we know things or subjects only by the concep- tions we form of them, we can of course only define them by the statement of those conceptions. To IMPORTANCE OF ANALYSIS. 199 iefine anytliing, therefore, is to give in analysis the conception we have of it. A\^e thus enable others to form similar conceptions, and this is the process of instruction. Logic teaches that a conception cannot be conveyed or transferred from one mind to another as a whole. Hence the necessity of such an analysis as will ex- hibit in the most striking manner the essential resem- blances and differences of the included parts. It is the w^ork of all instructors so to plan and exhibit analyses of their subjects as to engage the attention and aid the comprehension of learners. Instruction is often rendered more complete by reversing the process after the conception is properly transferred, and by synthesis enabling the learner to gather up the elements into a whole, and remember them in the form of the original generalization. The inverse processes of generalization and division may be illustrated by a simple logical scheme, which may be applied to any subject and extended almost indefinitely. GENERALIZATION. This and that particular, This or tliat particular. Tliis or tiiat particular. Individual whether whether whetlier IVJiife, lied, or Blac/-, . Ilai^d or Soft, Summer, F(tll,orWinter,Variety. 13 comprehended in the one idea of a TREE. GENUS. DIVISION. A TREE GENUS may be either White, lied, or Bldrk. Hard or Soft. Summer, Fall, or Winter. Variety. ^'^\^Tl'indB'oak"''^ '^i'wnds'M:'^ This or that Individual. Individuals Thus it will be seen that generalization traces affin- ities downward or inward to a common center, while 200 RULES OF DIVISION. division from a common center traces cliff(3renee» outward. It is not within the design of this volume to give minute instruction in methodology. The author must therefore content himself with recommending students to make themselves very familiar with its processes as taught by logicians and applied in the systematic classification of the various sciences and branches of human knowledge. Not that it is desir- able to introduce its technicalities into homile^ics, but that it is verj^ important fur the homiletical stu- dent to profit by the mental discipline to be derived from this study, and by the nice distinctions it will enable him to make. The following rules of division are specially appro- priate to the construction of sermons. RULES OF DIVISTOX. 1. Let the theme to be divided be single, and let but a single principle of division be followed. 2. Employ that 2)rinciple of division which is best adapted to the special design of the address. 3. Let the divisions be few in number, and ex- pressed with clearness and brevity. 4. Nevertheless, the divisions of a subject should be comprehensive, and if practicable exhaustive, that is, embracing parts which equal the whole. 5. Divisions should be coordinate, that is, of the Bame rank or class, avoiding the confusion of particu- lars with generals or species with genera ; for example, oaks and elms with trees, roses with flowers, etc. 6. Divisions should be well arranged ; not always in the same order, but always in correspondence to each other, and with a view to mutual dependence and support. PRACTICAL DIVISION. 20.1. The following may be stated as tlie leading prin- ciples of arrangenient : 1.) The order of nature, including time, contiguity, progress, etc. 2.) The order of climax, and occasionally anticlimax. 3.) The order of augmenting force. Departures from these principles invariably tend to confuse thought and weaken expression. In homiletics two leading styles of division are recoernized, the textual and the topical. AT 1 1 T np T . 1 . T^o kinds. Authors have greatly dinered m then- treat- ment of these branches of division, and as a conse- quence many persons have failed to comprehend their mutual relations, if not the true character of both. Th« object will now be to exhibit briefly the true character and the proper uses of each. § 1. Textual Division". Textual division resolves the words of a text into the principal heads of discourse. It regards the text itself as the theme of the sermon. It employs gen- eralization chiefly as a means of reducing the theme to its briefest form of statement. While in topical division the subject is divided^ in textual the elements of division are furnished in the words of Scripture found in the text, or their equivalents. Many reject this style of division on account of its limplicity, and yet it is often beautiful in its application, and more than any other adapted to aid in the lucid declaration of the truth of God. It is specially applicable to texts containing precepts, commands, promises, warnings, and facts ; also, to exposition. Textual division is not limited to any set number 202 EXAMPLES. of forms, and yet there are tliree principal forma which are found to comprehend all the most import- ant examples. They are, 1. That of the natural order; 2. That of analysis; 3. That of synthesis. For the sake of hrevity they may be denominated, 1. Textual Natural. 2. Textual Analytical. 3. Textual Synthetical. I. Tlie Natural Order of textual division suits those texts in which distinctions of ideas already e^ist, and require only to be noted. EXAMPLES. Text. Rom.xii, 12. Subject. Qualities of Christian Cliaracter. I. Rejoicing in hope. II. Patient in tribulation. IIL Continuing instant in prayer. Text. 1 Cor. xiii, 13. Subject. The Abiding Graces. L Faith. IL IIoi)e. in. Charity. Text. James iv, 2, 3. Subject. The Stnility of our Prayers. I. We liave not, because we ask not. II. We ask and receive not, because we ask amiss. BOUKDALOUE. Text. 1 Jolm ii, 10. Subject. The Elements of Worldliness, I. The hist of the flesh. II. The hist of the eyes. III. The pride of life. — Bossuet. Tlie natural order is also appropriately observed in many texts in which sli<:^ht additions to the words will construct a series of propositions. EXAMPLE. Burder's division of Titus ii, 11, 12: For the grace of God, etc. Subject. Characteristics of the Gospel. I. It is the gift or grace of God. II. It brings salvation. EXAMPLES. 203 III. It has appeared nnto all men. IV. It teaches ns to live a holy life. 1. Denying ourselves. 2. Living soberly. 3. Living righteously. 4. Living godly. The natural order may be followed with great convenience and pertinence in large numbers of expository discourses, both when short and long texts are taken. EXAMPLES. Text. John i, 17: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Subject. The Grand Agencies of Religious Instruction. I. The law. 1. Given by Moses. 2. Designed, etc. II. The Gospel in its prime elements. 1. Of grace. 2. Of truth. Text. Psa. i. Subject. Tico Characters^ tioo Destinies. I. Blessedness of the righteous man. 1. Who avoids evil; (L By walking not, etc. (2. By standing not, etc. (3. By Bitting not, etc. 2. Who conforms to God's will ; (1. By delighting in his law. (2. By meditating upon bis truth. 1.) Day. 2.) Night. 8. Who is prospered in all things; (1. Like a well-planted tree. (2. Fruitful. (3. Unwithering. 11. Contrasted condition of the ungodly. Hot so. But, 1. Like the chaff, etc. 2. Not to stand in the judgment, etc. ; but, 3. Finally to perish. TEXTUAL ANALYTICAL. In this method interrogation is the solvent, or instrument of analysis, by means of which tho important points of a text are brought strikingly into view. Interrogation is the key of knowledge, which, per- severingly applied, will unlock the most intricate labyrinths of truth. An excellent mode of investi- 204 INTEKEOGATION. gating many passages of Scripture is to apply to them the simple interiogatories, Who ? what? when? where? how? w^hy ? etc. Who brings out the actor or speaker ; what, the act or subject ; wl\en, the time ; w^here, the place ; how, the manner; and why, the reason. Upon the strict relevancy of the answers to two or more of such questions, and that in the Helevancy. i p i \ t it words 01 the text or nearly so, depends the propriety of employing upon that text the interroga- tive or analytical division. In no instance sliould many questions be employed ; and if in any case the textual answers are not adapted to become the heads of discourse, some other kind of division should be adopted. EXAMPLES. Text. Matt, vi, 33 : Seek ye first tlie kingdom of God. Subject. The Supreme Olject of Human Endeavor. I. What should men seek? "The kingdom of God and his righteousness." II. How should it be sought? "First" in order of time, of importance, etc. III. Why? 1. Our Lord commands, "Seek ye." 2. He also promises, "All these things shall be added unto you." The above plan is altered from Jay. Text. 1 Peter ii, 9 : But ye are a chosen generation, etc. Si'UJEGT. The True Election. I. Who are here addressed ? Genuine Christians, whom God has called, and who have come "out of darkness into his marvel- ous light." II. What are their privileges? They "are a chosen genera- tion, a royal i)riesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people." III. For what purposes aie such privileges given them ? That they "should show forth the praises of him who hath called" them. TEXTUAL SYNIHETICAL. 205 TEXTUAL SYNTHETICAL. The foregoing are the most obvious and practical modes of dividing textnally, but a third mode may bo designated as the syntlietic. It results from a state- ment of the meaning or subject of different parts of the text in other words than those tlie text employs, and without reference to apparent analysis, yet hav- ing a real basis in the words of the text. The term synthetic may be vindicated as the opposite of cma- lytic. Strictly speaking, there can be no synthesis without a previous analysis. That here referred to is employed when the analysis is so easy or so ob- vious that formal questions are unnecessary. Follow- ing the synthesis, it is often well to quote the word or words on which it is based. exampj.es. Text. Hosea viii, 12 • I have written to him the great things of ray law, etc. Subject. The Scrijyhires. Tiie text exhibits, I. Their author: God says, "I have written." 11. Their subject : The great things of liis law, III. Their reception : " They were counted as a strange thing.'' — Jay. It will be readily perceived that the above heads result fi'om the implied questions, 1. Who wrote? 2. What- ? 3. How received ? Text. John vi, 68: Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast ihe words of eternal life. Subject. The Important Question. I. The being addressed: The "Lord" Jesus Christ. IL The object ofjthe inquiry: "Eternal life." in. The mode of securing that object : "Going to Christ," etc 206 EXAMPLES. Text. Ezek. xi, 19, 20: And I will give tliem one heart, etc. SuRjECT. Genuine Religion is here developed in four parliciilars: I. Its author. II. The disposition it produces. III. The obedience it demands. IV. The blessedness it insures. — Jay. Remarlv. — In textual analytical or synthetical di- vision the preacher is at liberty to transpose the natu- ral arrangement whenever the logical order requires a different collocation of ideas. EXAMPLE. Text. Luke xxiii, 43 : Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Subject. ChrisVs Promise to tlie Dying Penitent. I. Matter of the promise : To be " with him in paradise." II. To whom given : The thief on the cross. III. Time of realization : "To-day." IV. Assurance of realization : " Verily I say unto thee," etc. § 2. Topical Divisions. There is an objection to the use of the term topical to designate a class of sermonal divisions on the ground of its association with the topics or loci com- "mmes of the old rhetoricians. This objection seems to have led some writers to adopt the compound terms text-divisions and suhject-divisions, thus throw- ing out both the terms textual and topical. Tliere are, however, many reasons for preferring to retain both as employed in the present chapter. But tho use of the term topical must be understood to relate to the subject of discourse I'ather than to any formal list of topics. Nevertheless, as the topics of the rlietoricians have Topics of rhet- ^^cu SO loug employed, not only in the orioiana. thrcc grcat braiiclies of secular oratory, ARISTOTLE'S TOPICS. 207 but also as aids in tlie composition of sermons, it may De well to explain both their uses and abuses. The term topic is derived from the Greek word TOTTog, a place. Its technical use in rhetoric arose from the idea of mapping out the whole field of argu- ment, and fixing the localities to which speakers might resort for thoughts and modes of address. Hence another Latin name for them, series argu7nentorum: The topics, therefore, were aids to invention rather than to disposition. They were alike open to all speakers and to the opposite parties in any contro versy. They were supposed to furnish or suggest material available for tlie treatment of every possible subject, although not equally adapted to all subjects. There w^as no positive agreement as to the number or order of the topics. Some writers divided them into two classes, internal and external. The internal topics arose from the bosom of the subject itself. External topics arose from any source without the subject, but applicable to it. Aristotle, without classification, enumerated twen- ty-eight topics as belonging to demonstrative, deliber- ative, and judicial oratory. Claude, to aid in " the composition of a sermon," employed twenty-seven, not very dissimilar to those of Aristotle, and which his commentators have continued to elaborate. Even as recent a writer as Gresley has stated sixteen, which for an example are condensed and copied, namely: 1. Preliminaries, prejudices, etc. 2. Circumstances. 3. Man- ner. 4. Branches. 5. Objections. 6. Limitations. 7. Causes or reasons. 8. Bearings, tendencies, and effects. 9. Relations, inferences, and corollaries. 10. Connections. 11. Different views. 12. Chances of misunderstanding. 13. Chances of strength ening. 14. Contrasts and comparisons. 15. Persons to •whom the subject applies. 16. Manner of deepening impressioDS. 208 TOPICAL DIVISION. The bare perusal of sricli a list sliows how exceed- ingly artificial and cumbrous the system is, even in its modern garb. An abridged and practical scheme of topics has Condensed I'^ccutlv found consiclcrablc favor as a hel]) seneme. ^^ study, and tlic examination of schol- ars in Sunday-schools. It embraces six particulars for query and suggestion : 1. Persons ; 2. Places ; 3. Dates ; 4. Doings ; 5. Doctrines ; 6. Duties. It is^ perhaps, as available to preachers as Sunday-school teachers, although its frequent use would tend to an undesirable sameness in the construction of sermons. While it need not be denied that occasional ad- vantages might arise from acquaintance with an elaborated system of topics, it may be seriously ques- tioned whether preachers of the Gospel will not usu- ally be more injured than benefited by any attempt to think and speak in accordance with so artificial a plan. The descripti^n above given is designed as an introduction to a more excellent way. Let the reader understand that topical division, as now treated, is simply that in which the topic derived from a text is made the subject of division, without reference to the words of which the text is composed. ADVANTAGES OF TOPICAL DIVISION. Two leading considerations commend this style of division : 1. It conduces to a large and agreeable variety ii; preaching. 2. It tends to unity of discourse. Wherever in textual division there is danger of vio- lating essential unity by the introduction of numer- ous particulars, or the complication or displacement of coordinate ideas, or wlicrever the doctrine of a MODES OF TOPICAL DIVISION. 209 text may be more briefly or more strikingly set fortli than in tlie language of the text itself, it is well to resort to topical division. Many texts may be treated with equal facility either textually or topically. Other texts Both kinds and portions of Scripture are more adapted practicable, to one style of division than the other. Preachers should qualify themselves by study and practice to discern quickly and clearly the adaptations and capacities of any texts that may come under their observation, and that in view of special objects. In studying a given text, it is sometimes well to experi- ment upon both modes of division, and then to select the one best adapted to his present design and to the free action of his thoughts. This can readily be done while disposing the outline of his sermon. For reasons heretofore given, it is essential that generalization precede any attempt at topical divi- sion. Without it there is no topic to be divided. Skill is also needed in stating generalizations, or reducing texts to propositions adapted to oratorical treatment. PPaXCIPAL MODES. If a subject is to be treated topically there are various modes of procedure. A few will be enumer- ated, one or more of which will be found applicable to the majority of subjects. 1. Analyze the topic by interrogation or otherwise. 2. Exhibit the idea in its appropriate relations. 3. Illustrate the facts or duties. 4. Exhibit the motives. 5. State the proofs. More briefly, topical: 1. By Analysis; 2. By Ke- lations ; 3. By Illustration ; 4. By Motives ; 5. By Proofs. U 210 EXAMPLES. It is not taught that these five modes are all that may be fitly practiced in topical division.* It is con- ceded that the possible variety of treatment in relig- ious discourse is infinite. • Indeed, it needs to be so to suit the ever-changing circumstances of mankind: and the ever-varying capacities and mental consti- tutions of Christian ministers and their audiences. Hence, while on the one hand any stereotyped method of enunciating truth should be repudiated, on the other, the vagueness of a lack of system should be equally avoided. The object of the examples now to be given is, if possible, to mark out the golden mean between no system and all systems that are so multiform as to be impracticable. TOPICAL BY ANALYSTS. This style of division applies to a large class of themes: for example, the faithfulness of God; the excellence of truth ; the efficacy of prayer. EXAMPLES. text. Rom. v, 1: Therefore being justified by faith, etc. Subject. Justification hy Faith. I. Its Nature. II. Its Grounds. III. Its Results. Text. Acts ii, 42 : And they continued steadfastly, etc. Subject. Duties of Church Membershix). I. To be well grounded in Christian doctrine. II. To be joined to our brethren in true fellowship. III. To partake regularly of the sacraments. IV. To lead a prayerful life. V. To continue steadfastly in all these duties. ♦ A simple style of division much practiced by the early Church fathers, and also by John Wesley, might be fitly denominated the paragraphical, or topical by paragraphs. Mr. Wesley's paragraphs in his sermou on Enthusiasm are numbered as high as thirty-nine. EXAMPLES. 211 TOPICAL BY RELATIONS. This form of division is applicable to conceded truths and uncontroverted principles. EXAMPLES. Text. Dent, iv, 35 : Know that the Lord he is God ; there is none else beside him. Subject. God is Injinitely and Gloriously Perfect. Consider this great truth in respect to, 1. His eternity. 2. His omnipresence. 3. His omnipotence. 4. His wisdom. Text. 1 Peter i, 19 : The precious blood of Christ. Subject. ChrisVs Blood is Precious. I. Comparatively. II. Intrinsically. III. Superlatively. — Pulpit Enotolopedia. TOPICAL BY ILLUSTRATION. This third form of topical division applies specially to facts and duties which are not denied, but which need to be more fully understood. EXAMPLES. Text. John xvii, 17: Thy word is truth. Subject. The Truthfulness of God''s Word. Illustrated from, I. Human history. II. All established science. III. Its descriptions of character. IV. Its adaptation to the wants of men. Text. Exodus xx, 8 : Eemember the Sabbath day, to keep it koly. Subject. The Sanctification of the Sabbath. This duty may be accomplished by, 1. Abstaining from worldly labor. II. Public worship. in. Private devotions and sacred studies. IV. Self-denying labors in behalf of the souls of men. 212 EXAMPLES. Text. Luke xiv, 7 : He marked how they chose out the chief rooms. Subject. Amhition. I. Ambition is blind in its aims. II. It is presumptuous in its disposition. III. It is odious in its results. — Bouedaloue. Text. Matt, vii, 12 : Whatsoever ye would that men, etc. Subject. The Golden Rule. This important precept of our Saviour may be complied with, I. By a due consideration of the wants and woes of our fellow- men. II. By cultivating a lively sympathy for the afflicted. III. By faithful endeavors to mitigate the sorrows of the dL'»- tressed. TOPICAL BY EXHIBITION OF MOTIVES. The rule to exhibit motives presupposes for its subject a duty which, though comprehended, is not performed with sufficient regularity or faithfulness. It needs therefore to be urged upon the people, as in fact do most religious duties. EXAMPLES. Te\iot. Josh, xxiv, 15 : Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. Subject. The Duty of Instant Choice to Serve God. This duty may be urged upon all, I. Because God enjoins it. II. Because our own interest demands the choice. III. Because there is infinite peril in delay. Text. Matt, vi, 14: For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Subject. The Duty of Forgiveness. Christianity clearly and emphatically enjoins this duty, and we may be urged to its practice by many motives. I. Because an unforgiving spirit is injurious to ourselves. II. It is unjust to our fellow-men. III. It is offensive to God. IV. Because Christ specially requires us to forgive injuries. V. Because he makes our forgiveness of others the conditioi'. of being forgiven ourselves. EJJAMPLES. 213 TOnCAL BY rnooFS. Tlie rule to state the proofs obviously applies to propositions in belialf of whicli argument is neces- Bary. It is a rule of wide application, since it is not only proper for a preaclier to convince tlie unbeliev- ing of the truth of Christianity, but also to confirm believers by a frequent rehearsal of arguments in support of the important truths which they already receive and cherish. Besides, our congregations are mixed, and it is often necessary to state the proofs of, to us, old and familiar truths for the benefit of those to whom they are new. While this mode of division harmonizes perfectly w^th prepositional discussion, and is perhaps most frequently tributary to it, yet it does not essentially require a logical proposition as its basis. EXAMPLE. Text. Matt, vii, 13 : Wide is tlie gate, and broad is the way, etc. Subject. The Danger of a Course of Sin. Proved from, I. The ease and attractiveness of its entrance. II. Its agreeableness, accommodated to every one's inclina- tions. III. Its popularity. " Many go in thereat," thus influencing each other. lY. Its certain issue in destruction. Should the question arise whether some one of the foregoing modes of division must be applied to every text or employed in every sermon, a negative answer may be emphatically given. The styles of division above exemplified are simply representa- These modea tive, embracing indeed those most usually Bentative. 214 DIVISION AND DISCUSSION. employed, but by no means all that might be found available. Before leaving topical division, it may be observed that two or more of the styles illustrated may sometimes be combined in the subdivisions of the principal heads. EXAMPLE. Text. Acts xvii, 30 : But now commandetli all men every- where to repent. Subject. Repentance. I. The nature of repentance explained. I. Genuine sorrow for sin. 2. Evidenced by forsaking sin. II. The duty of repentance proved, 1. From man's sinfulness. 2. From God's commands. III. The motives for repentance stated. 1. Sin is destructive of happiness. 2. It is offensive to God. 3. Without repentance true faith in Christ is impossible. RELATIONS BETWEEN DIVISION AND DISCUSSION. The leading varieties of division having now been illustrated, their proper relation as auxiliary to dis- cussion is obvious. Division should never be em- ployed for the mere sake or from the mere habit of division. It should not be rejected when it will secure greater clearness or nnity to the discussion. The following are the more usual combinations between discussion and division : 1. Explanatory discussion employs textual divi- sion in all its forms, and topical division by analysis. 2. Observational discussion employs topical divi- eion by relations and by illustration. 3. Proposition al discussion employs topical division by the statement of proofs and the exhibition of mo- tives. 4. Applicatory discussion combines readily with every form of division. THE USES OF DIVISION. 215 At this point tlie student will be prepared to form a correct judgment of tlie proper uses as well as the abuses of division in homilctics. THE USES OF DIVISION. 1. Division is a branch and agency of disposition which also aids in completing the task of invention. It is specially advantageous, if not indispensable, in forming logical plans of discourse ; for however some affect to discard the name, they are obliged to avail themselves of what the name represents, or produce that against which Paley admonished young preach- ers, " a bewildered rhapsody without aim or effect, order or conclusion." Facility in division enables the preacher to map out rapidly the region of thought he proposes to traverse, and to construct the whole framework of his argument before the labor of verbal composition is undertaken. By this means he can discover any weakness or lack of proportion, and readjust and im- prove at pleasure his plan of discourse without unnecessary labor or loss of time. 2. Division, thus employed in advance, contributes greatly to the facility and correctness of composition, whether in writing or in speaking. 3. It is specially important to the extemporaneous speaker, as giving him an easy grasp of his subject, and preventing him, when in the presence of an audience, from getting lost in a wilderness of words. Among the ancients memory was regarded as one of the essentials of oratory, and classed with invention, disposition, and elocution. "Yet," says Cicero, "it is chiefly order that gives distinctness to memory;" and " there is scarcely any one of so strong a memory as to retain the order of his language and thoughts 216 THE USES GF DIVISION. without a previous arrangement and observation of heads." 4. "While the above considerations are urged in be- half of the speaker, it must not be overlooked that the hearer may derive corresponding advantages from well-constructed "heads of discourse," which Pale J significantly calls " helps to perspicuity." Unless an audience is enabled to perceive clearly the design of a speaker, and to comprehend his execu- tion of that design, its time is worse than wasted; its disgust is often excited. Speakers being familiar with subjects in advance, may easily delude them- selves with the supposition that they are understood, when their hearers gather no connected ideas from what they say. Well-expressed divisions tend to fix the attention of a hearer, and to assist his compre- hension of a discourse. They also, in the language of Blair, following the idea of Quintilian, "give him pauses and resting-places where he can reflect on what has been said, and look forward to what is to follow." 5. Division also aids the memory of hearers by giving them points of association, around which they can assemble in review thoughts which, in the ab- sence of such connections, would have vanished with their utterance. A sermon that is not worth remembering is not worth preaching ; and one so constructed that it can- not be remembered, however it may please in the moment of delivery, must be very poor. Notwithstanding these and other excellent uses of division, it is capable of being so misemployed oi mismanaged as to become highly objectionable. THE STATEMENT OF DIVISIONS. 217 ABUSES OF DIVISION. 1. The most common misuse of division in former days was too great minuteness. By tliis the progress of discourse was checked, and attention directed to unimportant particulars. 2. Corresponding to this was excessive enumera- tion, calculated to overburden the memory. This fault has been the foundation of a great part of the ridicule hitherto expended upon this subject. 3. Inherent defects, such as, 1.) An oft-recurring and tedious sameness. 2.) A lack of unity, tending to one organic whole. 3.) A lack of symmetry. 4. A diffuse statement of the plan forming an epitome of the discourse. This necessarily makes all that follows seem repetitious. THE STATEMENT OF DIVISIONS. The propriety of employing divisions in sermons has been warmly discussed since the days of Fenelon, who strenuously opposed them, although his chief objections are only valid against their abuses. Nearly every writer on the subject of preaching seems to have thought it necessary to Quesuonat take sides either for or against divisions, ^^^^®' overlooking the fact that their value may entirely change with a change of circumstances. Among those who in any proper sense appreciate disposition, the only proper question of debate is that relating to the enunciation of divisions. It does not follow, because divisions are important in the construction of a discourse, that in every case they should be stated, or at least formally announced. A scaffolding neces- gary to the erection of a house may be very much 218 MODES OF a:n':nouncement. out of place if retained wlien the liouse is finished. So oftentimes in the preparation of a discourse the plan may be so thoroughly wrought into its struc- ture, and so obvious in its delivery, that any separate statement would be redundant. The question of stating divisions in a sermon must be determined purely on the ground of rhetorical propriety. Will the statement be advantageous to the design of a discourse ? If so, it is called for. If not, it should be omitted. Fortunately, the essential variety of both subjects and occasions conduces to a sufficient variety of practice in this respect. The Modes of state- ^^^^ remark applies equally to the man- ment. j-^gp ^f aunouncemeut. Moore describes three styles as comprehending the principal methods of introducing a subject. They are, " 1. The elab- orate and partially-developed announcement ; 2. The less artificial, but still divisional announcement; 3. The flowing, or slightly-indicated announcement." This author's treatment of the question now under consideration is so judicious as to deserve repro- duction : 1. By the elaborate and highly artificial announcement, we mean one in which not only every division and subdivision must be advertised beforehand, but in which a largely-expanded syllabus of the intended course of thought is made to precede. 2. The less artificial but still divisional form of announcement, under one or other of its modifications, is adopted almost uni- versally by the continental preachers, by the Nonconformists, and by a large proportion of the preachers of the Church of England, especially in the delivery of unwritten sermons. By YJnet and Claude and Simeon it is assumed to be the normal type of homiletical composition, all departures from it being tolerated only as an exceptional variety. By some of the French divines there is added to the first announcement, and anteced- ently to the general discussion of the subject, a more extended outline. The danger in this method is, that the second stage of MODES OF ANNOUNCEMENT. 219 development should encroach on the province of the tlih-d and give the appearance- of repetition. 3. The last kind of announcement we have called the flowing, or slightly-indicated announcement. It is rarely adopted by extemporaneous preachers, but is to be found in the sermons of tliose who always rea'l from a manuscript. An example of the last is given from Chalmers's ser- mon on the " Expulsive Power of a New Affection." Mr. Moore further says : As a rule we strongly incline to some form' of announced di- vision. It may be set forth either in a continuous sentence, or by the more strongly-marked numerical breaks, as the nature of the subject may require; but it should always be with sufficient distinctness for the hearer to understand the general drift of the argument — what is the lesson to be enforced, or what is the truth to be proved In the case of the extemporaneous preacher especially, a well- staked out course of thought seems almost indispensable. Unpre- meditated forms of illustration are sure to suggest themselves in the course of preaching which it were a very bondage not to yield to. Yet he must not suffer them to carry him too far away. And the taking up of one of his announced heads both facilitates and indicates his coming back. ^Nevertheless, for the sake of perspicuity the reader of a sermon has even greater need of halting-places and guides for the comprehension of his hearers. Moore closes his remarks on this question by hint- ing at two extremes to be avoided : The first is the danger of falling into a pedantic mannerism : of thinking ourselves obliged to acconnnodate every subject we take in hand to the same rigid external framework ; so many chief heads first, and these duly waited on by a symmetrical train of satellites. The practice of some preachers of casting every text they preach from into a tripliform mould — with only such permutations as they can operate upon the statement, the doctrine, the inference ; the instruction, the encouragement, the warning ; the fact to be illustrated, the lesson to be taught, the 220 KULES FOR GUIDANCE. principle to be applied — is found after a time to be very weari. eorae. But, secondly, in relation to modern practice, and as far as the written sermon is concerned, we incline to think our danger is from the other side ; the danger, lest in our anxiety to keep clear of all formality and stiffness in our announcement of a subject, we should leave people in the dark as to what our subject is. This fault is fairly chargeable upon some of the great writers^ who liave supplied us with examples of what we have called the flowing or faintly indicated announcement. Their indications are often too faint to be observed. And in reading -yve some- times find ourselves half through the sermon before the quorsum tendit of the discourse strikes us — whither the preacher is going to take us, or to what propositions we are expected to assent. In addition to the above remarks, the following hints on this branch of the subject may prove practi- cally useful : EULES. 1. On plain topics, where the minds of hearers can readily follow the course of thought, the announce- ment of divisions is superfluous. 2. In treating upon abstract and difficult subjects it is essential to define our intended course, and often at least to erect landmarks to enable our hearers to know the progress they are making, and in due time Xo retrace their steps. 3. Grantino; that in o:iven cases announcement is called for, we must choose between the difierent kinds in view of the principle of rhetorical adaptation, hav- ing due reference also to that of variety. A. We should study to make our divisions tend to moral and spiritual ends as well as merely rhetorical results. Tliat this is practicable appears from an example given in tlie life of that eminently useful Scotch min- A GOOD MOTTO. 221 ister, M'Clieyne. " The beads of Lis sermons," said a friend, " were not the milestones that tell you how near you are to yonr journey's end, but they were nails that fixed and fastened all he said. Divisions ai'e often dry ; but not so his divisions — they were so textual and so feclinc^, and they brought out the spij'it of a passage so surprisingly." M'Cheyne himself remarked to a friend : " I used to despise Dr. Welsh's rules, (for dividing sermons,) out now I feel that I must use them, for nothing is more needful for making a sermon memorable and impressive than a logical arrangement." 5. Finally, if we err at all in this matter of an- nouncing divisions it is better to err on the side of plainness and logical simplicity rather than on that of mazy indefiniteness. AYe had better make our points clearly and in a homely manner rather than make no points at all. But there is no need of violating good taste either on one side or the other. Let the aim be to produce a correct and powerful impression, dispensing with whatever will weaken and adopting whatever will augment it. A good motto with respect to the various subjects treated in this chapter is, he guided hy rules, hut he not hound hy them. 222 ITS IMPORTANCE. CHiMTER IX. THE CONCLUSION ITS IMPORTANCE. From tlie days of the earliest rhetoricians to the present time the conclusion has been regarded as an important part of pnblic discourse. As between dif- ferent authors and different kinds of public speaking, there has been less divergence of view as to what belongs to a conclusion than with reference to most other parts of an oration. It has ever been deemed important that a discourse should end well — should leave upon the minds of its hearers a clear, agreeable, and powerful impression, an impression tending to a practical result. If this is important in secular oratory, it is still more Greatestofaiiin important iu prcachiug the Gospel. Ad- preaeMng. dresscs bcfore deliberative bodies and ju- dicial tribunals are followed by immediate action. The members of a religious audience usually go their way, and long periods sometimes intervene before they are specially called to put in practice what they have heard in a sermon. Its impression, therefore, upon their memory and their convictions ought to be definite and lasting. A sermon without application is worthless. The conclusion is the proper place for application in every style of treatment except the applicatory itself. "Where continued application has been maintained throughout a discourse, a formal or separate conclu- Bion is less called for ; nevertheless, in that case a re- DESIGN OF CONCLUSIONS. 223 capitulation may be appropriate, or the last applied argument in a series which, in view of its position, ought to be the most impressive, may itself become the conclusion. In cases of extreme brevity the last words of a discourse, whatever their form, are to be regarded as the conclusion. DESIGN. The proper design of a conclusion is to appropri- ately finish a discourse. The last impression pro- duced by a speaker is that likely to be longest remembered. If it be good it may do much to atone for preceding deficiencies, or it may heighten preced- ing excellences. On the other hand, a faulty conclu- sion may destroy the impression of the best exordium, and do much to neutralize the efiect of the best argu- ment. The design of a conclusion embraces several dis- tinct ideas. 1. The avoidance of an abrupt termina- tion. A preacher should always seek to leave in the mind an impression of completeness, of his having finished the work he took in hand. Without this the contrary idea will present itself unpleasantly to the mind, suggesting failure and incompleteness in a manner very likely to prejudice the effect of the discourse. Sometimes, however, a sermon may bo terminated with a species of designed abruptness intended to stimulate thought and awaken feeling. This species of conclusion requires great skill and dis- cretion, but when well executed secures happy results, in harmony with the highest objects of preaching. 2. Another design of a conclusion is to express thoughts which do not belong to any other part of the discourse. In the elaboration of a plan disposi- tion usually distributes to the conclusion pertinent 224 MATERIAL OF CONCLUSIONS. and important matter tliat lias no place in eitlier the exordium or tlie argument. When this is not the case, the preaclier is at liberty to select matter that can be spared from the previous parts of a dis- course, and which he can more eifectivelj employ in the conclusion. 3. Summarily, it may be said that the design of a conclusion is to apply to the grand object of the dis- course whatever has been said in the foregoing parts, and to intensify its effect by an emphasis peculiar to itself. Whatever design, therefore, the preacher cherished in the preparation and delivery of his dis- course should be palpable in the conclusion, and, if possible, should be thoroughly accomplished before its close. § 1. The Matter appropriate to Conclusions. The matter or themes of the conclusion may appro- priately be various. 1. Inferences. At the end of a logical argument one or more inferences from the points proved are strictly in order. This style of conclusion has at some periods been carried to excess, but now is com- paratively little practiced. Nevertheless, it is not to be entirely rejected either in explanatory or observa- tional discussion, although perhaps it has a closer affinity with prepositional. 2. Becajnt'idation is well adapted to explanatory, observational, and applicatory discussion. It enables the preacher, by rehearsing his leading thoughts in a summary form, to impress them upon the memory of his hearers, and to make them converge more powerfully upon the great object of persuasion. Re- capitulation, when employed in conclusion, need not occupy the whole space. Indeed, it may often bo APriiOPRIATE MATTER. 225 most fitly used as a species of transition, a connectinoj link between the argument and the ultimate or crowning ini])ression. 3. Ajypcal^ including specific addresses to different classes and characters ; for instance, to the aged and the 3'onng, parents and cliildren, penitent and impen- itent, Christians, backsliders, etc. Great care must be taken to avoid sameness in the order or matter of appeal. 4. Exlwriation. Hortatory conclusions are fre- quently called for on nearly every class of subjects, and following every style of discussion. Exhortation may be either general or specific. It may relate to immediate or remote action. It may be applied to the sinner or the saint. It may avail itself of alternatives, of admonitions, of promises, and even of pertinent and impressive anecdotes. In short, the whole field of fact, of experience, and of Scripture is open to supply choice material for a con- cluding exhortation. RHETORICAL ADVICES. With this and the preceding topic, the student should associate in his mind the more valuable sug- gestions which rhetoricians have recorded with refer- ence to excitation and addresses to the feelings and the passions. They are summarily these : 1. The audience must have been gradually pre- pared in advance for pathetic address. Appeals to the passions not founded on knowledge or conviction are worse than fruitless. They react against the speaker. Hence discussion should precede them, producing conceptions and judgments preparatory to thosp feelings and purposes which result iu ac- tion 15 226 RHETORICAL ADVICES. 2. The speaker must avoid Indicating liis purpose to move the feelings. "Never set apart a Lead of discourse in form for raising any passion ; never give warning that jou are about to be pathetic, and call upon jour hearers, as is sometimes done, to follow you in the attempt. This almost never fails to prove a refrigerant to passion. It puts the hearers imme- diately on their guard, and disposes them for criticis- ing much more than being moved. "^ 3. The speaker must himself be possessed of real feeling. His mind must so participate in the results of his own argumentation that at the appropriate moment his emotions rise and assume a leadership over the emotions of his cono;reo^ation. " There are a thousand interesting circumstances suggested by real passion which no art can imitate and no refine- ment can supply. There is a contagion among the passions. The internal emotion of the speaker adds a pathos to his words, his looks, his gestures, and his whole manner, which exerts a power almost irresisti- ble over those who hear him."f 4. Corresponding to this state of his own feelings, the speaker must employ only the appropriate thouirhts and lano'uao'e of emotion. (1.) He sliould present particular rather than gen- eral views of his subject. Whole audiences are some- times moved to tears by statements of individual suf- ferings on a field of battle, when general statements of the most dreadful carnage awaken little or no emotion. (2.) The speaker should select only those points and features of the subject which are adapted to pro- duce the sentiments he desires to awaken. These will generally be those more prominent and strik- * Jamieson, following Blair T Ibid. UEVOTIONAL CONCLUSIONS. 227 ing features wliicli imply others of minor import- ance. (3.) His language should be simple and unaffected, yet animated and glowing, calculated to stimulate the imagination of his hearers and to give it scope for action. 5. Finally. '' Beware of straining passion too far, of attempting to raise it to unnatural heights. Pre- Bcrve always a due regard to what the hearers will bear; and remember tliat he wdio stops not at the proper point, who attempts to carry them further in passion than they will follow him, destroys his whole design. By endeavoring to warm them too much he takes the most effectual method of freezing them completely." '^ DEVOTIOJfAL EXPRESSIONS. As it is of great importance to maintain in a dis- course, when practicable, the principle of climax, preachers often find it well to use for their closing expressions some form of devotional utterance. The following is a classification of the principal forms of this style of conclusion : 1. A stj'ildng j)assage of Scripture, It is sometimes highly fitting for the preacher to end as he began, with his text. But often other passages of the divine word occur to him as even more appropriate. For in- stance, a sermon on repentance might be concluded •with Ezekiel's thrilling appeal : " Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways ; for wdiy will ye die, O house of Israel?" A sermon on the plan of salvation miglit emphatically and suggestively terminate in St. Paul's exclamation : " O the depth of the riches botli of the wisdom and knowledge of God !" * Jamieson. 228 EXAMPLES OF CONCLUSIONS. 2. Prayer. A supplicatory expression may often be used at the closing sentence of a discourse. AYell employed words of prayer at the crisis of a sermon not only give dignity to the subject, but seem to array it in all its force between the hearer and his God. A prayerful utterance at the conclusion of a ser- mon often assumes the form of a benediction. Quota- tions of Scripture and benedictions are often mingled together, as in the following examples from Richard Watson. Watson's sermon on "The Coming of the King of Zion " closes with these words : As the redeemed of the Lord, let us " return and go to Zion ■svith songs and everlasthig joy upon our heads," and then at last we "shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing sliall forever flee away!" God grant us this grace, for Christ's Rake ! Amen ! That on "The Knowledsje of Christ" concludes o thus : While millions of mankind are actually "perishing for lack of" this "knowledge," let us incessantly pray that God would "send forth his light and truth," and that his "way may be kDown upon earth, his saving health among all nations." 3. A doxology. This may be a direct quotation, or a paraphrase of some of the inspired ascriptions of praise to God. Of the latter a somewhat artifi- cial, but nevertheless striking example may be given from Bishop Ileber's sermon on '' The Existence of Spirits :" To Him, the seed of the woman and bruiser of the serpent's head; to Ilim, from the inhabitants of every world and element, and sun and star; from all that dwell on the earth, above and under it, be ascribed as is most due, with the Father and the ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS. 229 ndy Gliost, all might and all honor, glory and dominion, now and forever." A more harmonious and triumpliant example is fomid in the conclusion of Dr. Mason's celel|ated sermon on •' Messiah's Throne :" Tlie days, 0 brethren, roll rapidly on when the shont of the isles shall swell the thunder of the continent ; when tlie Thames and the Danube, when the Tiber and the Rhine shall call upon the Euphrates, the Ganges, and the Nile, and the loud concert shall be joined by the Hudson, the Mississippi, and the Amazon, singing with one heart and one alleluiah, Salvation! the Lord God omnipotent reigneth ! Comfoitone another with this faith and with these words: "Now blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious Name forever. Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen!" § 2, Essential Characteristics of Conclusions. The foregoing precepts and examples will suffice to indicate the appropriate material of conclu- sions, and also to point out variety as a lead ing principle which should govern in their structure. No preacher should form the habit of closing his ser- mons in anj uniform mode, for however impressive a given style may be, it will by iteration lose its effect. While this principle demands habitual varia- tion of mode, and sometimes may even dictate the seeming abruptness heretofore described, yet it will never authorize in a conclusion the use of new mat- ter, or that which is not appropriately connected with the main subject of discourse. Another important characteristic of conclusions should be hrevltii. Nothins: can exceed the Brevity, ill taste or tlie bad effect of long-drawn per- ambidatory conclusions. Yet excessive length is a »230 CLOSE WITH ENERGY. common fault of the conclusions of extemporaneous preachers and Avriters ; in fact, of all who do not govern themselves both in the preparation and deliv- ery of sermons by well-defined plans. New thon£i;ht9 occur to them, and they are hitclied on to what has gone before. What is worse, sometimes the preacher becomes conscious that he has failed to accomplish the object of his discourse, or to awaken the degree of interest he ought to have excited, and he struggles on in the vain endeavor to compensate the fault, until at last he is forced to terminate further from his object than when his conclusion began. Few things are more tiresome yj^o hearer or preacher than the undue continuance or the endless circlino* about of an indefinite and protracted conclusion. Next to this in the catalogue of faults is dullness, or languor of delivery ; indeed, any subsi- dence of oratorical power which enfeebles the final impression. The best remedy for these faults is to condense the foregoing parts of the dis- course into their appropriate time and space. For although the conclusion should be brief, it cannot witli impunity be jostled out of the position due to it. It has its own oftice to fill, and the wise preacher will not allow it to be displaced or ren- dered nugatory. jSTeither will he continue his dis- course till his voice is weakened, or his strength is exhausted. He will aim to close with life and energy, even though his energy may appear somewhat sub- dued, as more tributary to solemnity and moral power. Power in a conclusion is not so much attained by startling words and loudness of voice as b}^ a certain concentration of thought which brings the w^hole weight of the discourse to bear at a single point, and CLOSE WITH ENEllGY. 231 thus results in a strong and lasting impression. Row different is such a result from that of an indefinite- ness which loses sight of the main object at the very moment when that object should be made most pal- pable, and also of that feebleness which exhausts itself before the object is reached. To attain the highest excellence in executing the conclusion of a discourse is perhaps the most difficult as Avell as the most important task of an orator. But the elements of success are within the reach of every one. They are, a careful study of the proper design, the appropriate material, and the just limits of this branch of discourse ; a close observation of the results of diiferent modes in application to different subjects, and a persevering determination to attain excellence at whatever expense of effort. 232 ESSENTIAIi QUALITIES. CHAPTEE X. lOSSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THE SER^MON AS k WHOLE. Haying considered the entire work of disposition in its distribution of the materials of a sermon and in the structure of each principal part, it is now import- ant to ascertain what is necessary to a sermon as an organic whole. If hitherto we have been occupied to some degree with the anatomical framework, without which no organized body can exist, we are now to consider the ciiaraeter and t>ody as clotlicd iu flcsli aud pcrvadcd fitness. ^^,j^]^ iifQ^ ^Yg ^YQ ^^ invcstigato its char- acter, and determine its fitness or unfitness for the work to which it is appointed. We are not merely to consider whether it has life, but whether '' the life is for the lio-ht of men." In general terms it may be asserted that there are at least four qualities which ought to pervade every sermon as essential elements of its character. Every sermon should be at once evangelical, inter- esting, instructive, and eifective or powerful for good. Neither of these qualities, except the last, necessariljf implies the existence of the others. A sermon thor« oughly evangelical in sentiment may be dry, intricate, uninteresting, uninstructive, and powerless. Again, a sermon may be in many senses interest- ing, and yet wholly void of evangelical truth or spirit, equally uninstructive, and entirely inefficient for re- ligious good. EVANGELICAL CHARACTER. 233 Still again, a sermon may contain mncli instruction, and impart valuable knowledge on divers subjects, without being evangelical or Christian in any proper sense. The qualities of sermons necessarily depend both upon the choice of subjects and the manner of their treatment. It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to render any subject interesting in which the proper elements of interest do not inhere. It will be equally impracticable to be instructive on any topic which the speaker does not, at least in some of its aspects, un derstand better than his audience. Effectiveness, in a Christian sense, demands all the preceding qualities in due combinations, and super adds such an utterance of them as results in accom- plishing the spiritual ends whereunto the word of God is sent. These qualities severally deserve con- sideration. § 1. Evangelical Character. An evangelical character must be regarded as strictly fundamental to all true preaching. This qual- ity involves the truth proclaimed and the spirit in which it is expressed. As to truth, evangelical preaching demands a full and frequent declaration of the peculiar doctrines of Christianity; such as the depravity of man, the di- vinity of Christ, the necessity and provisions of the atonement, the essentiality of repentance and conver- sion, justification by faith, and sanctification by the Spirit. This quality of preaching also requires that all other truth when employed should be the subject of evan- p-elical application. For that purpose the Autruthmaybe 11 /. 1- IT . evangeUcaUy whole range ot truth is at the disposal ol applied. 234: EVANGELICAI SPIRIT. the Christian minister. He may with that end in view set forth tlie truths of natural religion, of Juda- ism, and even of philosophy, history, and science. To dwell on such truths principally, or to the exclu- sion of the foregoing class, would necessarily destroy or neutralize the evangelical character of preaching- would be to announce another Gospel. Still the truths comprehended under the various systems al- luded to are neither to be ignored nor slighted. They are indeed to be regarded as the necessary comple- ment of the Gospel system. But they are to be held as subordinate, and chiefly used for illustration. As to the spirit of preaching, there are modes of declaring even pure evangelical truth not in harmony with its design. Sncli, on the one hand, would be a harsh denunciatory manner; on the other a formal, careless, or trivial style. The sj^irit of the Gospel essentially requires love, meekness, earnestness, solemnity, and zeal to be blended together in the communication of the truths belonging to it, and by which it seeks to win the hearts of men. The spirit of evangelical preaching especially demands purit}^ of motive and singleness of purpose to glorify God even at the expense of ora- torical ambition or worldly renown. In these respects it differs signally from every other Characteristic ^^'^^^^ ^^^ public spcakiug. Ilerc is tliC difference. reasou wliy Christian experience is essen- tially necessary to the right preaching of the Gospel, and why it is impossible for an unbeliever, however learned or ingenious, to be successful in the work, even though he were to make use of evangelical truth as his material. These considerations may also enable us to discover one great cause of the difference of success among preachers, and also the difference of CHARACTERISTIC DIFFERENCE. 235 success on the part of tlie same preacher at diflTerent periods of his life, and in accordance witli different degrees of piety and different kinds of effort. As our Saviour said of casting out evil si)irits, *' this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting," so in respect to the great work of preaching Christ and Lira crucified no man can successfully accomph'sh it ^*f he have not " the spirit of Christ." '' A man cannot," said M'Cheyne, " be a faithful minister until he preaches Christ for Christ's sake." In a similar view Cecil remarked : " God puts pecul- iar honor on the preaching of Christ crucified. Men may preach Christ ignorantly, blunderingly, absurdly ; yet (if they know no better and do it in the right spirit) God will give it efiicacy, because he is determ- ined to magnify his own ordinance." On the other hand, vain is the highest intellectual effort, even of pious men, if it be misdirected, if it seek to lift men to heaven by any other i^teiieetuaiism power than that of the cross. This fixct ^^^^^<^^^^^- is strongly set forth in a sermon by Rev. Dr. Todd, of Pittsfield, on "The Tendencies of Intellectual Preach- ing." The following extracts are in point : Mere exhortation will soon become vapid and powerless; and to bring men into a light merely intellectual, however strong, will leave the heart unreached. The Churches under such preaching might not know Avhat ailed them, but they would feel that their wants are not met. The light of the Aurora Borealis may stream up and tremble and fill the lieavens, pure as the flaelies of joy or sorrow flitting over an angePs face, but ycu grow cold while you gaze at it. There may be the most beautiful productions of the imagination, of the taste, and the creations of an earnest and lofty spirit, but the soul may starve while she seems to be feasting on the very confectionery of the intellect. The tree may seem as if reared 23G INTELLECTUALISM INSUFFICIENT. in tlic garden of tlie Lord; it luay spread wide, and be loaded with a superabundance of foliage and flowers, fresh as ever- blooming exotics; but tiie fruits of the Spirit will not grow there- on. Honestly, faithfully the workman may task his powers to bring out what h new, bold, original, and great; but he mourns, and the people mourn, that the results are no greater than if le had a life-lease of what is felt to be the dreary domain of com- mon])! ace. Is it not a melancholy fact that the pulpits that have been the most renowned for talents, that were brilliant and lofty, have been far from being successful in proportion, the conversion of sinners and the spirituality of the Church being the standard ? We can conceive of a genius with power to take you to the rings of Saturn and turn them inside out, but that genius would not reach the heart. Talents elsewhere may produce results in proportion to their greatness, but not so hei-e. The undue exalt- ation of the intellect is sure to be punished by at least an equal destitution of vital piety. We must remember that men are made up of intellect and of emotion, or heart; that the intellect predominates only in a very few with whom we have to do ; that the great body of men are not intellectual ; and it is an ordained law of God that his preached word shall reach the heart only when it comes through the heart, so as to be shaded and even colored by the heart. Eloquence may soar on a sublime wing on otlier subjects, and may carry men even to frenzy ; but in the Gospel the eloquence of the heart only can come into communication with the heart, and this does and must and will. If these views are correct, with what fervency should every j)reacher offer the prayer: "Create in me a clean heart, O God ; and renew a right spirit within me ! " The liistory of the Churcli during successive ages DemonstrationB P^'ovcs that thc progrcss of truo rcligioii ofhiatory. 'jj ^]jq world lias cvcr depended upon the evangelical character of preaching as an essential agency. The preaching of the apostles was the Gospel itself, HISTORICAL VIE^r. 237 and o;lorioiis were tlie results. Duriuo; the first and second centuries tlie example of the apostles was gen- erally followed, with similar results, notwithstanding widespread and bloody persecutions. In the third century allegorical and mystical metli- ods of treating religious doctrines, and even Scrip- ture facts, spread their baleful influence over the pulpit of centuries following. A little later, as th(3 vitality of Christianity declined, preaching by some of the leading Fathers began to be modeled servilely after the precepts of the Grecian rhetoricians. Be- tween these two classes of errors preacliing gradually lost its power, and finally, during the medieval ages, became for the greater part a ceremony, but some- times an instrumentality of evil. As a consequence the truth of God was obscured, and its light nearly withdrawn from the w^orld. Pointed evangelical preaching was the prime source of power among the reformers, enabling them with the blessing of God to refute and banish from large portions of the Church the accumulated errors of centuries. So again in England, when not only the ministers of the so-called reformed Church, but even the Puri- tans themselves, fell into a style of preaching in which metaphysical and philosophic divinity predominated over the plain and pungent doctrines of evangelical truth, vital piety declined to such a degree that the Church lost confidence in the scriptural means of ^race, and resorted in vain to "moral societies" as a means of checking the tide of public profligacy and corruption. It was in this emergency that God raised up Wesley, Whitefield, and their coadjutors, as flaming herakls of evangelical truth, under whose ministrations a glorious revival of pure and undefilod 23S EVANGELICAL CHARACTER ESSENTIAL. religion was caused to spread over botli England and America. From that period to tLe present this principle has been ilhistrated. True religion has been revived and established wlierever evangelical truth has been faith- fully preached bv a ministry who, having experience 1 its power, have also exempliiied its excellence ; wliilo it has declined and the ways of Zion have mourned wherever this essential characteristic of Gospel preaching has been wanting. The evangelical character of preaching now com- mended will do much to redeem a sermon from other and serious detects. The truth itself has force, and T«>,..»r,. ^«^o. so also lias the spirit of love and meekness. iTinerent power J: oftruth. j^Q^ them be joined together, and although they may be to some degree depressed and neutral- ized by the counteracting effect of dull conceptions and feeble ntterances, vet they will do good, and often accomplish glorious results nnaided bj more brilliant qualifications. Happily, we live at a period and in circumstances Demands of the iu wliicli evangclical truth is widely ap- present and fu- . , „! "" • i i.i • • " tTire. precuited. Ihe revivals, the missionary efforts, and the rapid progress of the truth during the last hundred years have proceeded as direct results from a style of preaching more generally evangelical than has been previously known sinco the earliest centuries of the Christian era. Although the present times are not without alarm- ing tendencies of departure from both the spirit and form of evangelical truth, yet there are powerful ao^en3ies at work to counteract those tendencies, and to make the Gospel more than ever the power of God unto salvation. May every reader of this volume be enabled tc NECESSITY OF AWAKENING INTEREST. 239 cast tlie weight of liis life and influence into the scale of a pure evangelism, and thus hasten the day of the Gospel's final triumph ! § 2. Interest. It is due to the excellence and intrinsic importance o( evangelical truth that it be proclaimed in an in- teresting manner. No preacher has a right to mask the glorious Gospel in dry, vague, prosy, or enigmatic utterances ; neither to caricature it with formality or bombast. Interest, as a quality of discourse, is an inherent power of eno-ao-ino; and holdino; the atten- f- 4- ^^ A. ^ 4.^ T -1 Definition. tion 01 those to whom the language is ad- dressed. Its essential importance is seen in the fact that no mind can be profited unless its attention is both arrested and occupied. Memory is also depend- ent upon the fact and the degree of attention ; while there is little hope of the heart being affected by any discourse in which the mind does not become deeply interested. NECESSITY OF AWAKENING INTEREST. The preacher must remember that in a large class of his hearers there is a native aversion to the Gos- pel which he preaches; an aversion strengthened by habits of sin and the pride of rebellious hearts. This aversion it is his duty and necessity, as far as possible, to overcome by awakening in their minds a lively interest in his subject. Pettj- surprises and startling paradoxes fall entirely beneath what is demanded for this object. Such artifices, however commended and practiced by some, are usually regarded by intelligent hearers as signals of mental weakness or poverty of resource, which 240 MEANS OF AWAKENING INTEREST. excite pity for tlie speaker rather than interest in his Bubject. MEANS. It is doubtless impossible to reduce to a sjsten.atic form of statement all the elements which may be inade to contribute to the essential object of making Christian truth interesting. Much more is it ini- j)0ssible to describe the iniinitelv diversified forms In which different minds will apply interesting phases of truth to the countless varieties of subjects and cir- cumstances. A few practical hints may nevertheless be found useful in guiding the efforts of young preachers to make their discourses interesting. BE INTEEESTED YOUKSELF, IF YOU WOULD INTEREST OTHERS. Shams avail nothing here. It is impossible to awaken the interested attention of auditors if the S}»eaker is not interested himself. This is equally true of writing and of speaking. Hence the recipro- cal iniluence of composition and delivery. 'No elocu- tion can atone for the dullness or other grave defects of the matter it enunciates. In like manner the effect of the most perfect composition may be neutralized by a bad delivery. To accomplish the object now proposed, a dis- course must not only contain interesting matter, but must set that matter forth in interesting combinations of thought and delivery. It requires no practiced ear to discern the difference between the mischievous cry of lire in the streets, and the sharp, true ring of Jlre ! FIRE ! as the words are uttered by one who Bccs and feels the dano-er of a conflai^ration. So the INTEREST EVANESCENT. 241 preaclier lias no need to inform liis hearers True feeling that he feels interested m his subject. It guch be the fact they will either become aware of it, or, what is more important, will find a simihir feeling awakened in their own bosoms. The principle here stated is incidentally instruct- ive in reference to various modes of pulpit prepara- tion. It shows emphatically the danger of relying upon old sermons and plans of discourse, as well as that of the too frequent repetition of sermons. There is something in the genesis of thought which not only causes the mind to glow w^ith interest, but which kindles a similar glow in the minds of others. That glow having once expired in the speaker's breast, it is difficult, if not impossible, to rekindle it. The "threadbare story," or the "thrice-told tale," may drag its length along ; but no matter how well chosen the language, or how well adjusted the periods, no enlhusiasm marks the utterance, and that which originally sparkled and vivified is now dull and stale. Whoever supposes that a stock of old sermons will a^ail him as well as new wdiere they have not been heard, deceives himself. It is only wdien the preaclier can, by special review, bring back to his own mind the orio^inal fcelino- of interest that he will succeed with the productions of the past. And if his mind be at all progressive this will be exceedingly difficult, unless he can blend new things with the old in such a manner as to increase the interest of both. As well might the man of middle years expect to recover his original interest in the triHes that amused his boyhood, as the preacher in advanced life to be thoroughly interested in the best compositions of his 6cliool-days or his incipient ministry. The themes \nay be equally interesting, but his comprehension of 242 CLEARNESS OF EXPRESSION. tliem and his capacity to illustrate tliem slionld liavo oTowii with his advance in years and increased with his constant practice. If these views are correct, it may he safely remarked that no style of pulpit preparation, however elaho- rate, is sufficient to answer the Inchest ends of preach- inir for a £ri*eat lenscth of time. Hence the rule should be to make special preparation for every occasion o{ preaching, at least to an extent that will thoroughly enlist the thoughts and interested feelings of the preacher. Only thus will he be in a position to interest others. Some preachers when they have prepared a choice sermon count it as a substantial addition to their Interest pro- stock iu trade, to be carefully hoarded for gressive. futurc usc. Not SO the great preachers of the day, who, having confidence in their own pow- ers to produce as good sermons in the future as they have done in the past, and indeed better than any of their past productions would be in tue future, do not hesitate to give their sermons promptly to the press. Thus they put themselves under the necessity ot constant and increasing mental activity, and the re- sult is that they acquire additional strength with increasing effort. Other preachers may safely imitate their habits in this respect; remembering that though novelty is not an essential element of interest, fresh- ness is. CULTH'ATE CLEARNESS AND A'lVIDNESS OF EXPRESSION. "Without pausing now to consider in detail the qualities of style adapted to pulpit address, it maybe asserted that the perspicuous utterance of definite thoughts is essential to an awakening of interest in the minds of others. Hence misty conceptions, in- FREQUENCr OF ILLUSTEATION. 243 voWed sentences, ill-cliosen words, and wliatcvcr else might tend to befog ov bewilder the mind of the hearer, should be carefully avoided as barriers in the way of exciting a true interest in any subject. It is difficult to say which audiences most dislike, prosy and lifeless sermons, or those ])retentious dis- courses which are above their comprehension or aside from it. It is impossible for them to be interested in either class. Hence preachers nmst know what language is comprehensible to their hearers, and learn to w^ield it with directness and power. Guthrie, the great preacher of the Free Scotch Church, illustrates this subject at the same time that he indicates his view of its importance. Witness the following brief extract from the introduction to his sermon on "^Neglected Warnings :" Fire low, the order which generals have often given to their men before fighting began, suits the pulpit not less than the battle-field. The mistake, common to both soldiers and speakers, is to shoot too high, over people's heads; missing by a want of directness and plainness both the persons they preach to and the purpose they preach for. ]^o audience would mistake the meanino; of such language, or fail to perceive clearly the object the preacher had in view. ACQUIRE FELICITY AND rRACTICE FREQUENCY OF ILLUS- TRATION. The example of the great preacher is authoritative on this point. -Comparatively few people are capa- ble of following long trains of abstract reasoning, or of comprehending condensed or protracted state- ments of profound moral and religious truth. Hence the preacher must come down to the point of view 244 THE ANALOGICAL POWER. occupied by the masses of men, take tliem liy tlic hand and lead them by easy steps to the higher ground of enlarged conception. In such endeavors nothing serves more efficiently than v\-ell chosen and familiar illustrations. Materials of illustration lie thick before the preacher throughout the great worlds, 1. Of nature. 2. Of history, sacred and profane. 3. Of experience and observation. With all these he should make himself familiar for the express purpose of gathering from them whateVer fact or resemblance may be turned to the high account of aiding men to relish and compre- hend religious truth. Some men possess by nature a special talent for comparison, which inclines them to the- excessive use of fio'urative iano'uao:e. With them the task is to restrain and chasten their fondness for analogy. Buouidbecuiti- Others, and by far the greater number, vated. need to cultivate systematically and assid- uously the power of perceiving and stating analogies. But as preachers of the Gospel none should content themselves without introducing into their discourses, in greater or less abundance, what an old minister called the likes; meaning those resemblances or fig- urative illustrations by which, if well managed, audi- ences never fail to be interested. The frequent use of familiar and striking illustra- tions constituted one of the principal charms of the preaching of Chrysostom, and there is no one trait more common to the most popular preachers of the present day. Those who have heard or read the sermons of Guthrie, Spurgeon, Beecher, and Simp- son will recognize the correctness of tliis statement. Let none be discouraged by supposing that the talent of illustration is extremely difficult to be ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS. 245 acquired. Any one wlio will sit down with a little cliild, or a class of cliildrcn, and apply himself to the task of entertainin'j; and instrncting them for half an hour will find himself instinctively resorting to (;('in- parisons, narratives, and the kindred means of illns- tration, which have only to be adapted to children of a larger growth to answer the very end now proposed. If he desires higher and better examples he has only to open his Bible and observe how the great Teacher, and nearly all the inspired writers, employ the various objects of nature, and the events of life and of providence, to elncidate and embellish religions truth. Whoever is deeply convinced of the importance ot appropriate illustrations as an element of interest in a religious discourse, should study carefully and prac- tically the laws of figurative language as defined by the best rhetoricians. By means of this study three important things are to be learned : 1. What belongs appropriately to the several rec- oojnized forms of fio^ure. 2. How to avoid the serious fault of mixed metaphor. 3. What forms of figure are most appropriate either for instruction or im- pression. The latter class, such as apostrophe, interrogation, hyperbole, vision, climax, etc., although often em- ployed to arouse and fix attention, are more properly embraced in the department of style. 1. The figures most available for purposes of in gtruction are simile and metaphor, the one being ;i direct and formal comparison, the other an informal and abbreviated comparison. These figures not only excite the attention of hearers, but occupy their thoughts, and thus add permanent interest to a dis- course. 2i6 EXAMPLES. A few examples are subjoined from Giitlirie''s small volume of sermons entitled " Speaking to the Heart." SIMILES. It is a dreadful thing to see the liapphiess of a human being, like a brittle vase, shattered at a blow, the fair fabric collapse in an instant into a heap of ruins. Among the rudest pagans death never quenched the hope of immortality. That hope rose over the grave, shining to weeping eyes like the evening star above the place where the sun had gone down. Flowing through the earth like streams amid desert-sands; shining in life's darkest nights like stars in a wintry sky; throw- ing a briglit bow over every cloud of fortune; to love more than to anything else this world owes what blessedness it enjoys. A fruit-tree in early summer, covered with a sheet of flowers, topped by a thrush that pours forth a flood of song, standing on a sward enameled with flowers, and under calm blue skies that ring with music, olfers a striking contrast to the same tree as it appears in autumn, with the ground around it strewed with withered leaves, and only a few fruits of all those rich blossoms hanging on its naked branches. Still greater the contrast be- tween this world as it i)resents itself to the eyes of youth and as it a})pears to those of age. How rai-ely are its expectations of happiness fulfilled! Of its blossoms how few ever ripen into fruit. SIMILE AXD METAPIIOK. Our Lord found many a topic of discourse in the scenes around him ; even the humblest objects shone in his hands, as I l;a^■e seen a fragment of broken glass or earthen ware, is it caught the sunbeam, light up, flashing like a diamond. AVith the stone of Jacob's well for a puli)it and its water for a text, he preached salvation to the Samaritan woman. A little child,%h\ch he takes from his mother's side and holds up blush- ing in his arms before the astonished audience, is his text for a sermon on humilitv. ILLUSTRATIONS FllOM EXAMPLE. 247 METAPHOR. Jt is by an altar and through a victim that there is forgiveness rith God; pardon flows to men in a stream of bh)od. Rut here the altar is a cross, and its victim is the Son of the Highest. 2. ^ext to tlie formal tropes exemplified, illustrct/ tions from analogy add interest to discourse. Of these there are two classes : 1. Analogies of fact, such as the phenomena of nature and historical ex- amples. 2. Hypothetical analogies, based upon fancy or supposition. Did space allow, most interesting and instructi\e <^,xamples of the first class might be adduced from the best authors. It must suffice, however, to present a brief description of the habits of a preacher who ex- celled in historical illustration. A writer""' in "Sprague's Memorials " says of Di Porter, of Andover : I have often gone from his preaching with my heart wrung, literally wrung by the grasp he had laid upon it, and it was some time before the blood flowed freely in its channels. For making this impression he possessed two qualiflcations, the first of which I think especially demands attention, because it is val- uable and because it can be acquired. It was the habit of illustrating and enforcing his doctrine by examples, chiefly by grave historical or biograi)hical anecdotes. He seemed to me to have read history and biography witli this view — 1<» have I'ead them as a preacher — to have read them as I imagine C'icero would have recommended, who would have the orator know everything, but subordinate all knowledge to his life task as orator. 1 think Dr. Porter must have had a common])]ace-book for tho record and classilication of facts and anecdotes drawn from his whole reading. Out of his treasury, wherever it was, he was al- ways bringing some pertinent illustrations; some words from Bax- ter or Milton^ uttered in appropriate circumstances; some incident * Dr. Oiville Dewey. 248 iiYroTiiESis. from the life of Boerlinave or of Oberlin, or some grand historical anecdote vvhicli fell npo.i the point to which it was applied with astonishing force. It carried irresistible conviction ; it drove the nail to the quick. It was light and [)Ower ; it was lightning tJiat rent the hardest obstruction in its way. The other qnalilication was strong i-eligious emotion. Corresponding to this conjecture the biographer of Dr. Porter says : He read and thought as a preacher, and all his intellectual ex- ercises had reference to this one grand business of his life. He was accustomed in his general reading to keep memoranda ol in- teresting facts in a blank book always at hand for the purpose, ^vith the view of increasing the richness and instructiveness of his sermons. He once himself remarked that If there was anything attractive in his sermons it was chiefly owing, in his view, to the variety and ai)propriateness of illustra- tion, which by this process he had acquired the ability to employ. Hypothetical analogies, in the absence of facts ex- actly adapted to meet particular circumstances, may be readily constructed by suppositions of the preach er's own mind. The following is an example from Dr. Payson : Suppose you wished to separate a quantity of brass and steel filings mixed together in one vesssel, how would you effect thia separation? Apply a loadstone and immediately every particle of iron will attach itself to it, while the brass tilings remain be- hind. Thus, if we see a company of true and false professors of lelig- ion we may not be able to distinguish between them ; but let Christ come among them and all his sincere followers will be at- tracted tow^ard him, as the steel is drawn to tlie magnet, while those who have none of his spirit will ren^ain at a distance. Readiness, and skill in framing pertinent liypoth- eses, often prove of great service to preachers and pastors. Suppositions were a favorite instrument- SCKIPTUKAL AND HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS. 240 ality of Pajson for awakening an interest in religions truth, and for impressing it indelibly upon the mem- ory of those who heard him. He emplo^'ed them freely in sermons, in conversation, and in the instruc- tion of his Bible class. To the members of his Bible class the following was addressed : Suppose a man builds a temple, with one seat in it very high and mucli ornamented, and anotlier very far below it. You ask him for Avhom those seats are designed, and he replies: "Why the most elevated one is for me, and the one below it is for God." Now in this case you can all see the horrible absurdity and im- piety of such conduct, and yet each of you who continues impeni- tent is doing this. You have given yourselves the first place in your affections, you liave thought more of yourselves than of God, and have done more to please yourselves than to please God; in .^hort, you have in everything preferred yourselves before him. 3. Appropriate scnjjtural and historical allusions add much to the interest of religious discourse. Well chosen classical allusions have always been thought to lend a charm to modern literature. So in preaching, a peculiar charm arises from those scriptural allusions which illustrate present subjects by suggesting vivid ideas of past scenes or events. By such allusions Scripture history is kept familiarly before the minds of the people, and the endless appli- cations of God's word are made manifest to all hearts. The habit of employing Scripture allusions with taste and effect is one that with most persons needs to be diligently cultivated, while all should carefully guara against applying them to low or trifling themes 130 as in any degree to degrade the word of God. Purely historical allusions should be introduced with caution into sermons, lest they be too secular for the Sabbath, or not nnderstood by the lieai*ers. But a just combination of the historical and biblical. 250 EXAMPLES. in other words, pertinent allnsions to Scripture his- toiy. constitute a high excellence, and add much to the intrinsic interest of any sermon. The subjoined examples will represent to some extent the peculiar styles of their several authors • In that day the idle pretension: of entliusiasts sliall no mi^ia influence believers to reject tlie Holy Spirit than the vain pre- tensions of those false Christs wlio forniei'ly ai)peared among the JcAvs could influence the faithful to reject their only Lord and Saviour. The dispensation of the Si)ii-it shall then appear as glorious to tlie eyes of admiring- Christians as the dispensation of the Son once ai)peared to ravished Simeon; and every apos- tolic pastor shall conduct his flock from the dispensation of the Father through that of the Son to that of the Holy Spirit, in as rai)id a manner as St. Peter is reported to have done in his first discourse. — Fi.etciiek: '"Portrait of St. Pauiy Our Loi-d supi)lied proofs of his divinity in his works of power, lie was full of liealing virtue, so that even to touch the iiem of his garment was sufticient to remove diseases otherwise incurable. The "ctmc forth" which awakened Lazarus was but a softened accent of the voice, which, rolling through the caverns of the earth, shall awaken all the dead. But the apostles saw his concealed glory in his transfiguration, when "the fashion of his countenance was altered;" "his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was light and glistening;" "white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them." They saw his glory in his resurrection, for he rose having "life in himself;" and in his ascension to heaven, when "a cloud received him out of their sight." — Riciiakd Watson: Sermon on the '''■Incarnation of the Eternal Word.'''' Prayer can bring an instant Sa\iour near, and this where- soever you arc. It needs not that you ascend some special Pis- gah or Moriah. It needs not that you should enter some awful shrine, or put ofi' your shoes on some holy ground. Could a memento be reared on every spot from which an acceptable prayer lias passed away, and on which a prompt an?wer has come, we should find Jehovah-shammn/i^ "the Lord hath been here," inscribed on many a cottage hearth and many a EXAMPLES. 251 tlungeon floor. We should find it not only in Jenisalem's proud tenii)le and David's ccdar-g-alleries, but in the tishennairs cot- ^.age by tiie brinlc of Gcnnesaret, and in the upper ciiaiubL-r wliere Pentecost began. And whether it be the lieUl wiiere Isaac went to meditate, or the rocky l -,. • -, i • i ^ object. ot disproportionate length violate the rule last given, and become hinderances to the prog- icss of an oration. The story of the Spanish painter of the Lord's sup- per illustrates the tendency of this error : It was his object to throw all tlie sublimity of liis art into the fii,nire and couiitonaiice of tlie Saviour; but en the table, in tlie foreground of the picture, he painted some chaste cups, so exceed- ingly beautiful and so skillfully painted that the attention of uU who called to see the })i('tui-e was at once attracted to tlie -^ups, INSTRUCTION 253 and every one was loud in their praise. Tlie painter o'b5ervin{j this, saw that he liad failed in his design of directing attention to tire pnnci])al ohject in the pictui-e, and exchiiming, "I have made a mistake, for these cujjs divert tiie eyes of the spectator from the Master," he immediately seized his brush and dashed them from the canvas So we should dasli from our sermons every illus- tration and ornament whicli would divert attention from the main design rather than become auxiliary to it. § 3. Instruction. Whatever interest may be awakened in a religious subject should be made tributary to instruction. No preaching can be permanently useful which does not impart knowledge. Knowledge indeed is the foundation of all true religious experience and practice. The great fault of sinners is that " they know not God." " Moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge ; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many prov- erbs." Eccles. xii, 9. This was the example and the rule of Solomon. But a greater than Solomon has taught that a pri- mary design of the Christian ministry is the instruc- tion of mankind. " Go TEACH all nations," is the great command of the Saviour. 1. In order to a riglit compliance with this com- mand, ministers of the Gospel should at all times be learners. They should constantly collect instructive facts for sermons from all accessible sources. Auxiliary to the design of being public teachers, habits of classification and well-planned common- 254 ELEME:^rs of success. place-books will prove serviceable in enabling Iheia to nse at short notice whatever they have read or observed or otherwise learned. 2. Ministers shonld form systematic and compre- hensive plans for the instruction of their congrcga tions, and shonld steadily persevere in carrying then? on to completion. A pastor should endeavor to give in every congre- gation a sufficiently thorough course of instruction for the religious education and the complete salva- tion of the people, whatever advantages they may enjoy or lack after he shall have passed away. In this manner only can he discharge his individual re- sponsibilities. One sermon in a systematic course each Sabbath will nsually be sufficient, and on this plan there will always be opportunity for introducing the special subjects suggested by passing events. Every sermon, however, whether systematic or occasional, should be instructive as w^ell as evano-elical and interestino^. Knowledge is the food of the soul. " That the soul be without knowledge, it is not good." Prov xix, 2. By its commnnication the Church and the individual Christian are nourished into an ample spiritual growth ; without it they are dwarfed and weakened, however much excited or stimulated by false appliances, altliough in the highest degree specious or entertaining. "Feed my sheep" is the reiterated command af Clirist, and one to which tlie faithful shepherd will give good heed, seeking to lead oat his flock into all the green pastures of truth. In order to furnish them ample sustenance and nourishment he will need to sow besjde all waters and to dig diligently about the tree of knowledge that he may secure abundant fruit. OBJECTS OF rKKACIIlKO. Hoh Ilis sermons must be rioh in thouglit and in fiicts, and the people can hardly fail to become both inter- ested and wise as a result of hearing them. §4. Efficiency. The Gospel has an object. Its publication is not a ceremony. The real test of preaching, thei-efore, as to its highest excellence, must be its adaptation to accomplish its gre'at ends, some of which deserve to be specially considered in this connection. OBJECTS OF PREACHING. 1. The diffusion of truth and the consequent over- throw of error. For this object the Christian minister should be ever anxious and active. And while he should be untiring in his efforts to inculcate positive truth in all its most important phases, he should also be on the alert watching against the developments and in- fluences of error wliether new or old, whether spo- radic or systematic. While it is undesirable to occupy the pulpit largely with controversy, yet it must not be forgotten that the pulpit has a most important work to accomplish in forming and correcting individual and public opin- ion on all subjects relating to "life and godliness." Especially on all moral and religious questions it should utter clear, correct, and convincing speech. 2. The conversion of souls. In this great and peculiar result of Christian preach ing the most ardent hopes and the most zealous labors of the true minister fitly culminate, and in any- thing short of this he should not long be satisfied to rest. True, it is God alone that giveth the increase ; 256 ESSE^'TlAl, ENDS. yeh, as we know God's willingness to crown his own word with his blessing, we must labor diligently and hopefully to produce such sermons as will be owned of him for the salvation of souls. 3. The practice of righteousness. Under this head preaching may be said to aim at universal morahty and godliness, teaching and en- foi'cing the duties of men, women, and children in every possible circumstance of humanity. Not only does it inculcate the principles and pre- cepts of the whole law of God, but it entreats and persuades men to tlieir observance by all the highest motives that can address the human mind. 4. The establishment and upbuilding of the Church of Christ. The Christian Church is the great conservatory of the truth and ordinances of God. It is the appointed agent of the world's evangelization. It is the peculiar object of the Saviours lovo and sacrifice. " Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of wa- ter hy the word^ that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or an}' such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Eph. v, 25-27. The interests of the Church must therefore be dear to every faithful minister of the Lord Jesus, and to promote its purity and progress he must preach ati well as pray without ceasing. Here, then, is the final test to which our best pul- pit efi'orts must be brought. Whatever minor ex- cellencies it may combine, no preaching is truly good, is worthy of its name and design, which does not accomplish some or all of the foregoing objects. If a Bermon be weighed in the balance of efliciency and GOOD MOTTOES 257 found wanting it Is poor indeed, however it may cl) allonge the world's applause. How trifling a matter is tlie mere entertainment or the ceremonial occnpation of men com- ^j^^ practice of pared with that influence upon their lives "guteousneBs. which enables them to adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things, and upon their hearts, which prepares them for the judgment seat of Christ. To such ends as these the preacher must aim in every sermon, and be content with no rhetoric or logic, no imagery or pathos, which falls short of this result. " With me," said Dr. Adam Clarke, " this is a maxim : The sermon that does good is a good sermon." " I would rather beg my bread," said M'Cheyne, " than preach without success." These are mottoes worthy of being remembered by every minister. What have been described as the preceding essen- tial qualities are chiefly valuable as preparing the way for efficiency as an ultimate and crowning ex- cellence. As a general rule efficiency may be said to result from a due combination of those other good qualities which minister to it, and from which it is rarely separated. Yet it has antagonisms and ele- ments of its own. Efficiency in preaching is strictly incompatible with vagueness of conception and con- sequently of speech. It cannot coexist with insincer- ity of purpose, with imperfect religious experience, or with a vain and worldly ambition. On the other hand, efficiency as a quality of relig- ious discourse is specially promoted by a Essential quai- , -L ities of charao- strong desire to be useful, by an unwaver- ter. ino; faith in God's word, and an inflexible but sancti- fied determination to accomplish the objects of preach- ing through the divine aid and blessing. lY 258 ELEMENTS OF EFFICIENCY. It is not to be doubted that many a well-meant and otherwise good sermon has been wholly inefficient for lack of that energy of purpose which is necessary to impress other minds. ELEMENTS OF EFFICIENCY. 1. Earnestness mnst be claimed as an essential ele- ment of efficiency. The nature and power of earnest- ness have been so eloquently set forth by John Angell James in his work on an "Earnest Ministry the Want of the Times," that the following paragraphs are quoted as specially pertinent in this connection : Tliere is something in the aspect and power of earnestness, whatever be its object, that is impressive and commanding. To see a man selecting some one object of pursuit, and then yielding up his soul to the desire of its attainment, vs^ith a surrender which admits of no reserve, a steadiness of aim which allows of no diversion, and a diligence which consents neither to rest nor intermission ; which is so uppermost in his heart as to fill his conversation, and so entirely and constantly before his mind as to throw into its broad shadow every other subject of consideration ; and which borrows from the intensity of his own feeling a strange fascination to engage the feelings of others — such an in- stance of decision, amounting to a ruling passion, exerts over us while witnessing it an influence which we feel to be contagious. We involuntarily, to a certain extent, sympathize with the indi- vidual who is thus carried away by his own fervor ; and if at tho eame time all this be an earnestness for promoting our own in- terests, its effect is absolutely irresistible. That man must be a stone, and destitute of the ordinary feelings of humanity, who cau Bee another interested, active, and zealous for his welfare, and he himself remain inert and indifferent. Even the apathetic and indolent have sometimes been kindled into ardor and led to make efforts for themselves by the solicitude which others have mani- fested for their welfare. There is a silent and almost unperceived process of thought often going on in the mind of those who are listening to the ser- mons of a preacher really laboring for the conversion of souls of this kind- "Is lie so earnest about my salvation, and shall I RELIGIOUS EARNESTNESS. 259 eare nothing about the matter? Is my eternal happiness so much in liis account, and shall it be nothing in mine? I can meet cold logic with counter arguments, or at any rate I can raise up difficulties against evidence. I can smile at the artifices of rhetoric, and be pleased with the displays of eloquence. I can sit unmoved under sermons which seem intended by the preacher to raise my estimate of himself, but I cannot stand this earnestness about me. The man is evidently intent upon saving my soul. I feel the grasp of his hand laying hold of my arm as if he would pluck me out of the fire. He has not only made mo think, but he has made me feel. His earnestness has subdued me." Earnestness implies that the subject has not only been selected, but that it has taken full possession of the mind and has kindled toward it an intense desire of the heart. It is something more than the correctness of theory and the deductions of logic ; more than the cool calculation of the judgment and the play of the imagination. Earnestness means that the understanding, having selected and appreciated its object, has pressed all the faculties of both mind and body into its pursuit. It urges the soul on- ward in its career of action at such a speed that it is set on fire by the velocity of its own motion. By the earnest minister the salvation of souls is sought with the obligation of a principle and the ardor of a passion. When the congregations go to hear him they know what to expect, and consequently do not look for the flowers of rhetoric, but for the fruit of the tree of life ; not for a dry crust of philosophy, not for a meatless, marrowless bone of criticism, but for the bread which cometh down from heaven ; not for a display of religious fire-works, splendid but useless, but for the holding up of the torch of eternal truth in all its clear shining light, to guide the wandering and benighted souls to the refuge of the lost. It is only when the love of Christ constraineth us, and beareth us away with the force of a torrent, that we shall speak with a manner befitting our great theme. If we are not intensely real ^e shall be but indifferent preachers. This shows us the vast moment of our living under the powerful impression of the truths we preach. We cannot, like the actor, have a stage-dress and character to put on for .the occasion and put off* when the cur- tain drops. There may, indeed, be a factitious earnestness ex- cited by the sounds of our own voice and by the solemnities of 260 SYMPATHY. public worship ; but this will usually be fitful, feeble, oratorical, and very different from that burning ardor which is the result of eminent piety, and which imparts its own intensity of emo- tion to the words and tones of the speaker. Our animation must be the earnestness, not of rhetoric, but of religion ; not of art, but of renewed nature ; and not designed to astound, but to move ; not the manner studied and intended merely to attract a crowd and to excite applause, but to save the souls of men from death. For this purpose, whatever means we employ, and what- ever rules we lay down, to cure the vices of a bad elocution and to acquire the advantages of a graceful one — and such an aim is quite lawful — we must ever remember that the basis of a power- ful and effective pulpit oratory will consist of a deep and fervent piety, in the absence of which the most commanding gift of public speaking will be but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. To these impressive words it is only necessary to add, tliat ministerial earnestness sliould be definitely applied to tlie appropriate objects of a preacher's labor, as, for instance, the conversion of souls. It has been well remarked that those who keep their eye fixed and their powers concentrated on this great object never labor in vain. As in human pursuits success usually follows the tireless prosecution of specific purposes, so the history of ministers proves that the Saviour has never withheld his blessing from the labors of those whose supreme object, whose first, last, and absorbing desire has been the salvation of their fellow-men. 2. Sympathy. The oldest theories of eloquence demand sympathy in the speaker who would arouse the feelings of his hearers. The maxim of the Latin poet Horace, to the effect that you must weep your- self* if you would see others weep, states but the * "Si vismeflere, dolcndum est Primum ipsi tibi." CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. 261 universal experience of speal^ers and audiences. But the maxim lias its highest application to Cliristian oratory. Preaching indeed addresses the intellect, but chiefly as a means of reaching its highest sphere of influ- ence—the sensibilities and the moral powers of the Boul . As, therefore, no one can profitably occupy the thoughts of others who does not himself think, so it is idle for any one to hope to arouse the religious emotions of an audience when his own emotions are not enkindled. One has well said, "Who can resist, who would resist the fascination of a loving nature?" Men possessing it "blow wdiithersoever they list," and men follow them. " They bear mankind in their arms, and are ever the prophets and pioneers of a more loving time. No man is fitted for the pulpit unless gifted with this sympathetic nature." "All power with the speaker depends upon his capability of arresting the sympathies of his au- dience." ^ Happily, true religion inspires this very spirit of love, and the legitimate work of the minister is to give it expression, and thus " win souls " to Christ. But let him beware of pretense, or of any afiectation of feeling which he does not possess. On the other hand, let him seek first to experience deeply within Lis own soul the power of divine grace, and then to make every sermon its organ of communication to the souls of others. Genuine emotion is the cliarm of all speaking upon moral and religious subjects, in the absence ot which the most measured and stately elocution, whatever pleasure it may impart to the * Shadows from the Lights of the Modern Pulpit. 262 UNCTION. ear, will have little power to affect the heart. We have some- times listened to lofty and well-composed music ; to an overture, for instance, which we could not but admire; but it was still cold admiration, for the whole piece had not a note of passion from beginning to end; but some simple melody followed it, which, by the pathos of its notes, or the power of its associa- tions, touched every chord in our hearts, and raised in us a tumult of emotion. Thus it is with different preachers: we listen to one, whose excellent composition, and sonorous, per- haps even musical voice command our admiration; br.t not a passion stirs ; all within is cold, quiet, and without emotion ; the speaking is good, but it does not move us. But there is another, with perhaps less talent, yea, less oratory, in one sense, but his tone, his looks, his manner throughout are full of earnest feel- ing; it is a strain, every word of which comes from the heart, and every word of which awakens by sympathy a correspondent state of feeling in our hearts. — James. 3. Unction is another important element of effi- ciency in preaching. Unction is kindred to sym- pathy, but is of a higher and holier type. The true idea of it arises from those scriptural expressions which liken the Holy Spirit's influence to an anoint- ing from on high.* Unction in preaching, therefore, may be considered the joint product of the Spirit's influence on the heart of the speaker, and of his sanctified efforts on the hearts of the hearers. Thus far French writers have treated this subject more satisfactorily than the English, although many of the former have taken quite too low a view of it, regarding it as merely the equivalent of pathos. Maury is one of this kind, and his section ott L'OnC' tion has been rendered by his English translator under the head of Pathos. Blair has endeavored to explain the idea by calling it " the union of gravity and warmth ;" or more fully, that " affecting, pene- * See 1 John ii, 20, 27 : 2 Cor. i, 21 ; lleb. i, 9. UNCTION. 20)3 trating, interesting manner flowing from a strong sensibility of heart in tlie preacher to the importance of those truths which he delivers, and an earnest de- sire that they may make a full impression on the hearts of his hearers." Johnson has much better defined unction as " that fervor and tenderness of address which excites piety and devotion." But the subject has been best elaborated, by Yinet and the author from whom he so frequently quotes, Dutoit Membrini. The following paragraphs are from Dr. Skinner's translation of Yinet's Homiletics : Unction seems to me to be the total character of the Gospel ; CO be recognized, doubtless, in each of its parts, but especially- apprehensible in their assemblage. It is the general savor of Christianity ; it is a gravity accompanied by tenderness, a sever- ity tempered with sweetness, a nuijesty associated with intimacy, the true contemperature of the Christian dispensation, in which, according to the Psalmist's expression, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Psa. Ixxxv, 10. It is so proper a thing to Christianity and to Christian matters that we scarcely can think of transferring the term to other spheres, and when we meet with it applied to other things than Christian discourse or Christian actions we are astonished, and can only regard it as an analogy or a metaphor. There is no work of antiquity that awakens this idea. M. Dutoit Membrini thinks that in order to define unction, an intimate and mysterious quality, we must guard against formal definition and analysis. It is by the effects of unction and hy analogies that he would explain it, or, to speak better, give us a taste of it. Unction is a mild warmth which causes itself to be felt in the power;? of the soul. It produces in the spiritual sphere the same effects as the sun in the physical; it enlightens and it warms. It puts light in the soul ; it puts warmth in the heart. It causes us to know and to love; it fills us with emotion! Its only source is a regenerate and gracious spirit. It is a gift which exhausts itself and is lost if we do not renew this sacred fire, which we must always keep burning; that which feeds it is 2G4 UNCTION. the internal cross, self-denial, prayer, and penitence. Unction in religious subjects is what in the poets is called enthusiasm. Thus unction is the lieart and the power of the soul, nourished, kindled by the sweet intluence of grace. It is a soft, delicious, lively, inward, profound, melhtluous feeling. Unction, then, is that mild, soft, nourishing, and at the same time luminous heat which illumines the spirit, penetrates the heart, moves it, transports it, and which he who has received it conveys to the souls and the hearts which are prepared tn re- ceive it also ! Unction is felt, is experienced ; it cannot be analyzed. It makes its impression silently, and without the aid of reflection. It is conveyed in simplicity, and received in the same way by the heart, into which the warmth of the preacher passes. Ordi- narily, it produces its effect while as yet the taste of it is not developed in us, without our being able to give a reason to our- selves of what has made the impression. We feel, w^e experi- ence, we are touched, we can hardly say why ! Unction may be very unequal in two preachers equal in piet}' , but it is too closely related to Christianity to be absolutely want- ing to truly Christian preaching. Certain obstacles, some nat- ural, others of error or of habit, may do injury to unction, and obstruct, so to speak, the passage of this soft and holy oil, which should always flow, to lubricate all the articulations of thought, to render all the movements of discourse easy and just, to pene- trate, to nourish speech. There is no artificial method of obtaining unction. The oil flows of itself from the olive; the most forcible pressure will not produce a drop from the earth, or from a flint ; but there are means, if I may say so, by which we may keep without unction even a good basis of piety, or of dissembling the unction which is in us, and of restraining it from flowing without. There are things incompatible with unc- tion. Such are wit, analysis too strict, a tone too dictatorial, logic too formal ; irony, the use of too secular or too abstract language, a form too literary ; finally, a style too compact and too close. From these indications of the character of unction and the hinderances to it, we may readily perceive tliat as a quality of discourse it .flows out directly THE HOLY SPIRIT'S INFLUENCE. 2G5 from the well-spring of a living Cliristian experience. It is not necessary to suppose tliat every minister whose discourses lack unction is absolutely deficient in piety. It is safer to believe that the false tlieories and the bad habits of some preachers put a check upon the outgusli of their religious sympathies to an extent which neutralizes in no small degree the power of the truth they utter, and even grieves the holy Spirit, whereby their preaching needs to be sanctified before it can be of any avail. To the attainment of a true unction in preaching nothing is more essential than fervent prayer for the divine assistance. The Holy Spirit's aid should be invoked from the first act of preparation to the last .moment of delivery, with an unwavering confidence in those promises of God which assure us that we shall receive power to be witnesses for Jesus after that the Holy Ghost has come upon us. (See Acts i, 8.) The blessed Saviour, in accordance with prophetic announcement, was anointed " to preach the Gospel to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke iv, 18, 19. The apostles preached the Gospel by aid of " the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." 1 Pet. i, 12. In these examples the preachers of modern times should see their own supreme necessity of the divine anointing, and also encouragement to hope for the "unction of the Holy One" while putting forth their own best exertions. In striving to attain this highest species of pulpit power, nothing is so essential as to cultivate tliat intimate communion with God which will enable us 266 THE HOLY SPIRIT'S INFLUENCE. to feel every moment that we are " workers together with him," while the divine Spirit also worketh mightily in ns to enable us to speak to the hearts of men. How can any one regard it incredible that special influences of grace should be imparted to aid in the execution of a work divinely appointed for the salva- tion of men ? Every true minister of the Gospel professes himself " moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon him the office of the ministry." "Why may he not, therefore, expect the constant indwelling of "the same Spirit" to give him "the word of wis- dom" and the "word of knowledge?" Indeed, this is the declared office of the Holy Spirit as the eternal witness of the Son of God. "The anoint- ing which ye have received of him abideth in you ; the same anointing teacheth y^ou of all things, and is trutli." In view of this glorious provision of grace ministers of Christ should learn at once their great privilege, and the fearful responsibility of preaching " any other Gospel " than that which the Holy Ghost inspires and sanctions in its every utter- ance. Then let every preacher of the word pray continually for " an unction of the Holy One." Let him not be content with a fire of his own kindling, nor with the mere ' glow of his own spirit ; neither let him neglect to put forth his own best efforts in the idea that the Holy Ghost will sanction his indo- lence by compensating for the short-comings it causes. Rather let him bring all the natural and cultivated talents he possesses to the task of winning souls to Christ, and exerting them to the utmost in the fear of God ; let him expect accompanying power from on high to render efficacious the word he preaches. ADVANTAGES OF CLASSIFICATION. 367 CHAPTER XI. THE CLASSIFICATION OF SERMONS. ADVANTAGES OF CLASSIFICATION. Several advantages arise from a good system of tflassifying sermons : 1. Sucli a system conduces to the orderly arrange- ment of a preacher's material for pulpit use, enabling him to avail himself of the accumulations of his past labor and study v^ithout loss of time. 2. A judicious classification of sermons and mate- rial tends to a desirable variety in preaching, inas- much as no minister will wish to confine himself to a particular class of sermons, but rather to present to his people a suitable alternation of the various classes. 3. The principle of classification equally tends to secure unity in each sermon, since, having determined to what class a given sermon should belong, the preacher can more easily guard himself against not employing matter or treatment belonging to other classes. 4. On the basis of a good classification preachers can better appreciate and apply just principles of criticism, since the styles of language and of treat- ment which are applicable to some classes of sermons are quite inadmissible in others. Some writers and preachers have erroneously £.t- tempted to classify sermons according to the style of disicussion or plan of division adopted in their construction. Hence the confused and obviously 2G8 BASIS OF CLASSIFICATION. improper designation of observational sermons, prop* ositional sermons, topical sermons, etc. BASIS OF CLASSIFICATION. The only proper basis for a correct and compre- hensive classification of sermons is fomid in the governing design of the preacher. The mere idea of subjects is inadequate, because the same subject may be distributed into different classes at pleasure. For example, the subject of repentance may be the leading topic of an exposi- tory discourse. Again, it may be treated with ex- clusive reference to Scripture doctrine. At another time the duty of repentance may be practically en- forced, and finally the same subject may be found adapted to any one of several occasions, such as a funeral or an appalling disaster. Hence we must return to the design of a preacher in employing subjects, and here, provided he is accustomed to have specific designs, will be found a correct guide. There is an obvious propriety and an equal conven- ience in distributing sermons into the following gen- eral classes : 1. Expository. 2. Hortatory. 3. Doctrinal. 4. Prac- tical. 5. Miscellaneous or Occasional. Some other heads of classification have been pro- posed, for instance, experimental and doctrino-prac- tical. But it will be readily seen that experimental godliness is included under the more general head of practical, having reference to the subjective character or religious state of the individual who is disposed to an outward exemplification of God's law. It is admitted that various combinations are possi- ble, and sometimes desirable, in the design of particular DISTRIBUTION. ^ 269 sermons, as in tlie blending of doctrine and practice, but it is not wise on that account to create innumera- ble composite classes of sermons. The simple rule to be observed is to classify each sermon according to its predominant design, leaving subordinate and aux- iliary purposes out of view in deference to the princi- pal object. It will now be proper to consider the several classes of sermons in order, as a means of estimating correctly their intrinsic and relative importance, and also for the purpose of adding specific suggestions respecting some of the topics involved. § 1. Expository Discourses. This class includes all sermons and lectures which are specially devoted to the exegesis of Scripture, whether in single or connected passages. Although exposition may be confined to brief texts, yet it is customary, and generally more appropriate, to take larger portions of Scripture as the basis of discussion, ranging from paragraphs to chapters, and often ex- tending in serial order to whole books of the Bible. It must be conceded that expository preaching has been too much neglected of late years, and yet its primary importance must be perceived by every one who will reflect upon its special design to make the word of God better understood. Chrysostom was accustomed to say that in this mode *' God speaks much and man little." In the early Church exposition in homilies and sermons was the rule, and discourses upon set topics and brief texts were the exceptions. As the custom of modern times has gone to the opposite extreme, there is certainly room for improvement by returning at least to the medium ground of more frequent expositions of Scrip- 270 ^ EXPOSITORY DISCOUESES. ture. Moreover, this mode of preacliing is commend- ed bj the best writers. Rev. Thomas Jackson, the biographer of Watson and ]^ewton, says : The most useful kind of preaching, we think, is the expository, giving the just meaning of God's own word, and applying it to the consciences of the people, so as to convince them of sin, to bring them to the Saviour, and to enforce Christian duty in ail its branches, because God's word has an authority above every otlier. Rev. Daniel Moore, in his " Thoughts on Preach- ing," says: Many and great are the advantages of exposition. To the preacher it may be very beneficial. It furnishes him with a new variety of pulpit address. It compels him to a more accurate and synthetical study of large portions of the word of God. It spares liim all the hesitation and indecision and loss of time often attendant upon the choice of a text. And, above all, it keeps him from being too much wedded to the narrowness of human systems, by the fuller conspectus lie is obliged to take of the whole counsel of God. To the people, also, the style has many advantages. It brings before them a larger field of divine truth at one view. It aftbrds them a better opportunity for see- ing the doctrines of the Christian system in their related order and dependence. It admits of the bringing in of many collateral, but still far from unimportant topics, which if left for a set sub- ject of discourse might never have been enforced at all. It helps to fix marked passages of Scripture more permanently upon the memory, and it assists them in the formation of devout and intelligent habits in their own private reading of the word. In view of these and many similar considerations it may be asserted that every minister ought to be capable, and indeed fond of taking up connected por- tions of Scripture and expounding them in a manner adapted to interest and edify the people. If circum« stances prevent his doing this as systematically as ho would desire in every appointment, they will scarcely prevent his doing it to a considerable extent. To attain skill and power in expository preacliinpj EXAMPLES OF EXrOSITION. 271 mucli study and persevering practice are study and prao- necessary. Tliis style of pulpit labor de- "°^' mands, in the first place, a thorough knowledge of the principles and applications of exegesis, superadded to which there must be " a painstaking process of generalization ; a skilled habit of separating all mere accessories from what we consider to be the parent thought ; a discriminative grouping of scattered ele ments, to make them bear on some one conclusion, and a facile power of transition from one part of the subject to another without the jarring sense of abrupt- ness and without injury to the general unity of the subject." * There is no lack of excellent examples of this style of preaching, beginning back with the works of the fathers and. coming down through the Puritan di- vines of England to John Wesley, whose discourses on our Lord's Sermon on the Mount may be commended as a model for comprehensiveness and conciseness. All good commentaries furnish material for exposi- tory preaching, but many of them are far from being models for pulpit style. Preachers attempting courses of expository ser- mons should guard against being tedious, and hence should as carefully study what to omit as what to Bay. Apart from the continuous exposition of chapters and books, there are numerous Scripture themes which may be profitably treated by them- selves, and which will usually extend to a sufficient length for the interest of a public ministry. The following are samples of the topics referred to : the decalogue ; the character of Moses, Peter, or Paul ; prophecy, the beatitudes, the miracles, the panoply of God, the works of the flesh, and the fruits of the Spirit. * Moore. 272 hoktatory discourses. § 2. Hortatory Sermons. These may be fitly introduced in the sequel of ex- positions of Scripture or of doctrine. They are also appropriate in numerous circumstances where doc- trines or duties are understood, but need to be better practiced. In revivals of religion and services designed to promote them, hortatory preaching is much called for ; but in order to have its best effect it should be well based upon Scripture and upon clear statements of doctrinal truth. As heretofore intimated, the gift of exhortation is greatly to be desired and cultivated ; still no mistake would be greater than that of supposing that all the preaching needed in any congregation may be com- prised under this head. Hortatory preaching is in- dispensable in its proper place, but indiscretion in its use or continuance is only equaled by the error of neglecting it when it is demanded. It would not be difficult to select from authorita- tive sources numerous strong commendations of this style of preaching. The following extracts from James nmst suffice :* It appears to me that a want of powerful, eloquent, yet simple and unaffected exhortation is one of the greatest deficiencies ol the modern pulpit. We have to do not only with a dark intellect that needs to b« instructed, but with a hard heart that needs to be impressed, and a torpid conscience that needs to be awakened ; and have to make our hearers feel that in the great business of religion there is much to he done as well as much to be known. We must give knowledge, for light is as essential to the growth of piety in the spiritual world as it is to the growth of vegetation in the natural one ; and then the analogy holds good in another point, * Earnest Ministry. HORTATORY PREACIIIXG. 273 for we must not only let in light, but add great and vigorous abor to carry on the culture. We must, therefore, rise from exegesis into exhortation, warning, and exi)Ostulation. The apostle's manner is the right one : '' Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." There must not only be the di- rective, but the impulsive manner. All our hearers know far more of the Bible than they practice ; the head is fiir in advance of the heart ; and our great business is to persuade, to entreat, to beseech. We liave to deal with a dead, heavy vis inertica of mind; yea, more, we have to overcome a stout resistance and to move a reluctant heart. If all that was necessary to secure the ends of our ministry was to lay the truth open to the mind ; if the heart was already predisposed to the subject of our preach- ing, then, like the lecturer on science, we might dispense with the hortatory manner, and confine ourselves exclusively to ex- planation; logic unaccompanied by rhetoric would suffice. But when we find in every sinner we address an individual acting in opposition to the dictates of his judgment and the warnings of his conscience, as well as to the testimony of Scripture: an indi- vidual who is sacrificing the interests of his immortal soul to the vanities of the world and the corruptions of his heart ; an indi- vidual who is madly bent upon his ruin, and rushing to the prec- ipice from which he will take his fatal leap into perdition, can we in that case be satisfied with merely explaining, however clearly, and demonstrating, however conclusively, the truth ol revelation? To borrow the allusion which I have already made, should we think it enough coldly to unfold the sin of suicide, and logically to arrange the proofs of its criminality before the man who had in his hand the pistol or the poison with which he was just about to destroy himself? Would exegesis, however clear and accurate, be enougli in this case? Should we not en- treat, expostulate, beseech ? Should we not lay hold of the arm nplifted for destruction, and snatch the poison cup from the hand I hat was about to apply it to the lips? What is the case with the impenitent sinners to whom we preach but that of individ- uals bent upon self-destruction, not, indeed, the present destruc- tion of their bodies, but of their souls? There they are before our eyes, rushing in their sins and their impenitence to the prec- ipice that overhangs the pit of destruction ; and shall we content ourselves with sermons, however excellent for elegance, for logic, 18 274 DOCTRINAL DISCOURSES. for perspicnitY, and even tor cvanfrelism, but which have no hortatory power, no resti-aining tendency, none of the apostle'? bese<}cliin^ entreaty? Sliall we meri^ly lecture or. theology, and deal out religious science to men who, amid a flood of light already i)ouring over them, care for none of these things? § 3. Doctrinal Discourses. Doctrine literally signifies wliatever is taiiglit ; and as a great object of preacliing is to teach the trnths and principles of Christianity, so doctrinal preaching should be common in all pulpits, and the object of much thought and preparation on the part of every minister. If it be objected that many congregations are prejudiced against doctrinal preaching, it may be replied that the preacher should seek to remove their prejudices by more interesting and vivacious modes of stating and illustrating Scripture doctrines than those under which such prejudices originated. Christianity has made but little real progress in a Doctrines fun- commuuity in which its doctrines liave not damentai. bccu SO tauglit as to bc uudcrstood and believed. Every preacher, therefore, should aim to do his full share in the indoctrination of his hearers in all Christian truth. lie should not be content with irregular and occasional presentations of the important and leading features of the Gospel system. lie should endeavor to present them all in their ap- propriate connections, and that in a manner adapted to tlie audiences before which he- may appear. In some circumstances it may not be best for tlie preacher to disclose in advance his design of follow- ing out a systematic course. In other cases it may awaken a greater interest and secure a larger attend- ance, together with preparatory or collateral reading, that will greatly contribute to its success. DOCTRINAL PREACIIING. 275 Dr. Skinner-lias defined doctrinal preaching to bo " that which shows tlie reason of things." In this sense all preaching should be doctrinal. But the present theme requires more than this. It demands the elaborative and argumentative development of Scripture in its systematic connections. Important as this task is, it is to be confessed that between the superficial tastes of many hearers and the disinclination to thorough study on the part of many preachers, there is at the present time great dano^er of its beins; too much neo-lected. O o o Dr. J. W. Alexander makes the following just allusions to this subject : The attempt to edify the Church without doctrinal instruction is like the attempt to build a house without foundation or frame- work. Let any in derision call the doctrines ''•hones'''' if they Avill. What sort of a body would that be which was flesh and blood without bones? If any i)resent them in skeleton naked- ness, divested of their vital relations to life and experience, thia is the fault of those who do it, not of true and proper doctrinal preaching, which on one of its sides is practical and experimental. In fact, the two should never be torn asunder any more than the flesh and bones. They should even blend with and vitally pene- trate each other, and be pervaded by the unction of the Holy One. No sane man will contend for mere dogmatic abstractions in the pulpit. Much less should it be a theater for philosophic or metaphysical disquisitions. But it should be a theater for unfolding, illustrating, enforcing divine truth, proved by the tes- timony of Him for whom it is impossible to lie, to be appre- Lended by the intellect, and vouched for by the conscience of man. Better far to take a theological topic and popularize it than (he reverse, namely, to take a hortatory topic and thicken it by doctrine. Argument made red-hot is what interests people. Generally speaking, nothing interests so much as argument. People are accustomed to argument in such a country as ours. Argument admits of great vehemence and fire; argument may l}e made plain ; argument may be made ornate ; argument may be <)eaten out and thinned down to any degree of perspicuitjr. 276 FEACTIGAL DISCOURSES. It is a shame ^or a minister not to be acquainted with al) thfe heads of theolofjy, all the great scliools of opinion, and all the famous distinctions; and he will not learn them wtll unless he preaches upon tliem. The stimulus to this pi:rsuit will be best kei)t up if a man accustom himself to give a doctrinal tinge to all his preaching. Then he will read on these subjects. It is a great matter for a preacher to have the habit of deriving his entertainment, day by day, from the perusal of argumentative theology. Let him con tinually advance into new fields and attack new adversaries. Let him continually revolve the terms of former controversies. § 4. Practical Discourses. A practical sermon is one which specially and predominantly aims at the enforcement of some Christian duty, or to secure the practice of some Christian obligation or privilege. In a subordinate but by. no means unimportant sense all preaching should be practical, for what avails any theory that is followed by no desirable result ? " Be ye doers of the word," says the Apostle James, " and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." But as the duties enjoined by the word are numerous and particular, they require to be sepa- rately and minutely explained. They need to be set forth in their applications to individual social and public life. Each class in community needs to be enlightened as to the specific duties belonging to it, and the Scrip* ture motto of " line upon line and precept upon pre- cept " has a special application to this branch of the preacher's work. Practice is the great test of the power of precept, and few faithful pastors will not have occasion with earnestness and tearful solicitude to urge upon the people to keep the statutes and walk in the ordi- nances of the Lord. PRACTICAL PKEACIIING. 277 But as the heart is the fonntaiii of obedience or of disobedience, and as true piety is more the result of ail inner life than of any set of opinions, it becomes necessary for the practical preacher to dwell much and forcibly upon the duties of repei\tance and faith, and hope and love, as well as those of prayer, alms- giving, and attendance upon the services and ordi- nances of God's house. He seeks, indeed, to realize a practical effect from his own example and preaching in the lives of all his hearers. He looks that the word of God be quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, of the joints and marrow. He looks that under every sermon souls should be begotten by the word of truth. He watches for the answer of Christ's prayer, that the people may be sanctified througli the truth. He exerts himself for the "pricking of the heart," and for the inquiry "what must I do to be saved?"* The idea of preaching a sermon that will be ad- mired, or that will merely entertain an audience, is far beneath his plans and his aspirations. He con- Btantly aims at efficiency, and he hopes in every sermon to realize the encouraging promise of the Saviour : " Lo, I am with you." Whatever may be said of some other kinds of dis- course, practical preaching is within the range of every minister called of God, and all ministers should endeavor in the best and highest sense to be practical in their ministrations. On the experimental aspect of this subject an English writer has well said : Whatever your subject, whatever the occasion on which your ministry is exercised, let it be apparent that what you advance IS the result of experience ; that you are not descanting on themes * Adams: "Minister for the Times." 278 EXPERIMENTAL PREACH IXG. "with wliicli you are nnaeqaaiiited, or acquainted only as matters of speculation and discussion, Avhicli come before you in tlio course of professional duty ; but let it be obvious that you have "tasted" that the Lord is gracious, that "you have seen with your eyes, and that your hands liave handled the Word of ].ifo." When pi-eachinghrases in the language of connnon intercourse; and however much religious education and the reading of the Bible may have been neglected, tlie orator may' yet, in the case of the generality of hearers, reckon with cer- tainty upon a thought being nnderstood sooner in a biblical than in a philosophical dress. But the great power of Bible language in awakening affection consists principally in this, that in it the expression for the understanding and the expression for the feelings are not so different as in merely human representations, but are always one and the same. The figures so frequent in the Bible, while they have all the precision of an abstract term- inology, at the same time transfer the idea into the web of hu- man relationships, and clothe it with all that can exert inHuenco upon the mind ; they are a ray which unites in one both light and heat, and passes over from the mind into the heart, thus kindling the whole man. If, now, as is often the case, a sentence from the Bible, on our first meeting with it, or upon after occasions, lias awakened a whole series of pious emotions, the orator, by citing it as he passes on, can evoke anew the affection which has alrea'ly become connected with it, and can apply it to the pur- poses of his oration. But while the clerical student seeks to imbue his mind with scriptural truth, and to infuse Skill reqtiired the spirit of the Gospel into all his public utterances, he must guard against a theological dia- lect, or an unskillful amalgamation of sacred with 298 FAULTY USE OF TERMS. common pliraseology. A few j)aragraplis from one of Dr. Porter's lectures will illustrate tliis fault : It is found sometimes in single words, as iier adventure^ used for iieilia'pii ; tribulation for aJHiction or distress ; sensuality and carnality for sinful affections ; and edification for instr xction or imiirovemerd. So a jjhrase is often employed in a manner wh.'cli retpiires a commentary to give it significance in current languai^e, as when licentious conduct is called "chambering and \\'an- tonness." Sometimes this peculiar cast of style arises from using familiar terms in an abstract or mystical sense, as icalk and conTersation for actions or deportment. Sometimes a, peculiar combination of words makes a sort of spiritual phrase, as "mind and will of God;" "a sense of divine things;" and when intensive expression is necessary, "a realizing sense of divine things" is extremely com- mon in the pulpit dialect. In some portions of our country, and at some periods, a great fondness has prevailed for compound words, such as " God-provoting, heaven-offending, Christ-despising, land- dejiling.'''' Some of these awkward anglo-ecclesiastical combina tions have struggled hard for a standing in good style both here and in Great Britain, such as iinsjyeakahleness, icorldly-mindedness, spiritual-mindedness. Men of correct taste will a thousand times rather dispense with all the advantages of these terms than mar tlieir native tongue by multiplying such unseemly compounds. There is the more need of guarding against such terms, be- cause if they are formed from words which belong to the lan- guage they escape the reproach of barbarism, and therefore may be multiplied without end if the tendency of writers to these combinations shall be subject to no control but the dictates of cajirice or afiectation. The man who has the command of lan- guage may easily find other words equivalent in sense, or suffi- ciently so to substitute for such complex j)hrases. Instead of icorldly-mindedness we may say attachment to the icorld. In- stead of spiritual-mindedness., a spirit of devotion, or a spirit of hahltual piety. The same general fault in the preacher's style may be increased by his necessary familiarity with theological writers of past times. The excellent sentiments which these often contain, expressed, porha])S, in quaint and antiquated i)hraseolog3^, imperceptibly give a cast to his own diction, resembling, in its infiuence on other EARNEST DIRECTNESS. 299 minds, the stiffness and peculiarity wliich would appear in liis garh if it were conformed to the fashion of the sixteenth century. EARNEST ^DIRECTNESS. It is tlio province of poetry to circle round and round, exhibiting for mere entertainment various phases of a beautiful idea. On the other hand, it is characteristic of oratory to have an object in view, and to concentrate all its power on the accomplish- ment of that object. Hence not only the thoughts must be earnest and pertinent, but the language must partake of the same quality. Here is an indispensable requisite of a good pulpit style, and one whicli causes it to reject the indirectness of the essay and the circumlocutions of mere rhetorical embellishment. IS^ot only the form, but the spirit of the language must be direct, appealing pointedly to the hearer, and causing him to perceive continually that he is the man ad- dressed. A good portrait looks every beholder in the eye, and yet it does not stare. So a good sermon, without any rude appeal, seems to say to every hearer, "Here is a message for you." Its expres- sions, as well as the thoughts it utters, find their way to his heart, and claim him as a trophy for the Gospel. In a high moral sense the preacher is a painter. His business is to spread out for the perception of an audience scenes of the past and the future relating to this life and the life to come. But in order to make his delineations graphic he must himself be- liold the scenes he describes with a clear and direct view. Then he can portray them with an expressive- Qess that makes them real and present to others. 300 ENERGY. Language is not only the veliicle of tlionglit and emotion, but an agent of the will, appealing with persuasive and sometimes commanding power to the moral purposes of others. Earnest directness is the language of persuasion. But this language cannot Le feigned. It must be the truthful expression of the soul of the speaker. As such it finds its way to the soul of the hearer and answers the design of its utterance. EXERGY. In this quality may be found the culmination of a truly oratorical style. It is the life of eloquence, that which gives it breath and fire and poAver. Without it the most finished rhetoric is formal and cold. The people love it, and it is for them Ave preach. It is a sign of honesty in the speaker, lie would subdue us by a mas- tery he acknowledges himself. It is not he, but the truth, which makes us captive. He is but the instrument, though a willing, ardent one. Men have a strong passion for excitement, and energy always produces it. We yield more readily to sympathy than to logic or persuasion. It does not necessarily imply vehemence. There is energy in deep pathos, in simple description, nay, sometimes in silence itself. Whatever subdues us makes us feel, impels our passions, has energy.* Well-managed dialogue, especially in argumenta- tive discourse, often imparts a life-like energy to style. Apostrophe, emplo3^ed for a similar object, greatly stimulates the imagination of hearers by bringing, ag it were, before their eyes the objects aud characters apostrophized. To be energetic the apostrophe should appear unstudied, and from the impulse of the moment. It should be perfectly within our power. Nothing is more ridiculous than a preacher appeal- * Bcthimc. ArosTiioniE. 301 Ing in wortls to an invisible l)eing Avliile lie keeps his eyes C\xcd upon tlie paper, speaks on in his ordinary tone, and perhaps hesitates until he turns the leaf. An apostrojjhe is better brief. It should very rarely be long. It is impossible to maintain tiie illusion beyond a few Tuoments. The best orator would fail in continuing the effort. Some should never attempt apo-^troplie. They have not imagination enough to conceive it well, or, if it be conceived, not the voice nor the command of actior to exe- cute it. Failure in either disgraces us. If we be not sure oi success it were far better to let it alone.* Even though siiccessful, apostrophe must not bo too frequent, lest it lower its own dignity and dis tract the attention of hearers. Energy of style demands skill in the choice of words and the constructioii of sentences. ]^o rules are sufficient to guide the speaker here. Sometimes brevity is needed to secure force, and sometimes full- ness to give the sweep of a majestic idea. "A brief sentence sometimes flashes truth like lightning." But a discourse made up of brief sentences lacks a bond of connection and becomes a rope of sand. Well-chosen figures, if briefly and strikingly por- trayed, add greatly to the energy of style. But when a speaker shows a disposition to linger upon a figure and dress it out in too much detail, he wastes his strength and excites the impatience of his hearers. Energy should increase with the progress of a dis- course. Its rise should be natural, and its move- ment calm and regular, culminating, if possible, in ttiianswerable demonstrations and resistless appeals. Energy of style, as here recommended, should be the ofispring of clear thought and true Christian feeling. As such it becomes a powerful exponent of truth, and never fails to awaken responsive thrills in the breasts of hearers. * Betliunc. 302 COXVERSATIOX. Sucli being tlie functions of language with refer- ence to sacred oratory, the minister of the word should cultivate its right use, and acquire the habit of its most effective employment. § 2. Means of Cultivating a good Pulpit Style, A person's habit of language is his style, and, like other habits, this is usually of gradual growth. In giving directions, therefore for the acquisition of a good pulpit style it is necessary to begin at the foundation. CONVERSATION. Here is the school in which our first lessons of speech are taken ; and here, unfortunately, many habits prejudicial to oratory are acquired. ]^evertheless, when one's attention is aroused to the importance of a correct use of language, conversation continues to be a school invaluable for its opportuni- ties of i^ractice. Whatever exami3les are Belf-diseipline. . i i • • i given by his associates, the person who would acquire a good conversational style must re- solve always to speak correctly, and to eschew the faults which he observes in the conversation of others. When opportunities occur for listening to instructive conversation he should be an attentive hearer ; and in all cases wdiere it is proper for him to guide the conversation in which he participates, he sliould seek to turn it to good intellectual or spiritual account. Whoever seeks by such means to improve the lan- guage of his thoughts and his daily life will hardly fail to succeed. The next step beyond personal improvement is to make conversation an agency of good to others, and to its use for this object there is no limit. In ancient times " they that feared the Lord spake often one to LINGUAL STUDY. 303 another;" and nnder the Christian dispenf5ation direct religions conversation lias ever proved an instrument- ality of good second only to public preaching. AYliat is to be thought of the Christian minister who carelessly abandons himself to the loose conver- sational habits of the thoughtless or ignorant people that may be around him ? lie seems to forget that by so doing he exerts the influence of a bad example, at the same time that he entails upon himself the liability of marring his public services by objection- able forms of speech. No person can expect to form a style of language worthy of the pulpit who does not first become critical upon himself and his most familiar expressions. Not that the formalities of public address are to be introduced into conversation, but tliat every one contemplating the office of a preacher should carefully avoid tliose provincialisms, those inaccurate and loose expressions with which colloquial language is usually more or less corrupted. When, on the other hand, a young man has learned to use language with ease and strict propriety in all the varied phases of conversation, he has established a point of departure from which he may rise to the highest power of eloquence. STUDY OF OXE'S NATIVE LANGUAGE. Obvious as is the necessity of a careful study of the elements and lexicography of his native language, it is sometimes sadly neglected even by those who have made some attainments in the classics. The study of the ancient languages lays the only true foun- dation for complete success in mastering the English, but it forms no sufficient apology for the neglect, of close and protracted study of the English itself bj the aid of the multiplied helps now accessible. 204 STUDY OF AUTHORS. BEADIXG AND STUDY OF THE BEST AUTHORS. Here opens a broad and interesting field in which improvement of style may be blended with the ac- qnisition of knowledge. ^o young preacher should content himself without reading extensively those printed sermons which have come down from the great and good men of former generations, and he should prize the opportunity of reading, at least occasionally, the sermons of cotem- porary preachers. He should read, not to copy nor to imitate in any plagiaristic sense, but to follow the track of other men's thoughts, to observe their lan- guage, and to expand his own mind to just ideas of what sermons ought to be or ought not to be. Indeed, this kind of reading, in order to be profita- ble, must be critical, and it must be lim- . . - Critical reading. ited to the best selections, feo vast is the extent of sermon literature at the present day that no one need hope to be familiar with any more than the best specimens of the best authors. But with these he should be familiar. He should so analyze and dis- sect them as to perceive their frame-work, and so en- ter into their spirit as to refresh and invigorate his Boul. So far as he perceives them to be models of style he may safely imitate their essential excellencies. " Such imitation,'' said Longinus, " is not to be looked upon as plagiarism, but as lifting our souls to the standard of the genius of others and filling us with their lofty ideas and energy." Great but mistaken are the efforts which somo preachers make to acquire style — an elegant style. The}^ read the magazines, they pore over novels, they study Emerson, and even Parker, not to speak of Macaulay and Do Quincy. To such men the style READING. 305 of Barrow, which the great Pitt made his daily study, IS a myth. The simple but nervous style of Wesley, the majestic diction and massive beauties of Richard "Watson are quite overlooked, while the inflated mag- niloquence of Bascom makes them stare with delight. As a consequence their pulpit style is miserably vitiated, and they become vain of its very defects and blemishes. The only hope for such men is in an abandon- ment of their false guides, and a prompt return not merely to good authors, but to the Bible itself, as the proper model for their imitation. Here, indeed, is instruction for the wisest and best of preachers, not merely as to the matter of truth, but as to the style of its communication. Here will be seen that perfectness of adaptation, that beautiful blending of familiarity with the loftiest dignity, the most power fill arguments with the tenderest appeals ; in short, models of style in all its varieties and its highest perfection. We are not to imitate even Scripture language in its minutiae, but rather in its spirit and tone, as here- tofore explained. WKITING. 'No person should trust to verbal practice, howevei extensive, for the formation of style. On the othei* hand, writing should be a constant exercise. Original composition on various subjects should be practiced with zeal and industry, and followed with the most careful corrections and thorough criticism. The habit also of reading good authors, and then reproduc- ing with the pen one's own version of their thoughts, is greatly to be commended. As the subject of writing will be more fully dis- 20 306 WEITING. cussed in the chapter on habits of preparation for the pulpit, it is here passed over without further remark. It only remains to add that style is not a fixed, but a variable quality. ITo style is adapted to Adaptation. ^, . . "^ *^ . '^ ^ ^ ^ ^ all subjects or occasions. On the other hand, the character of a sermon prescribes in a great degree the style in which it should be written or de- livered. Thus, expository, doctrinal, and practical sermons should be plain and didactic in their style. Funeral discourses should be characterized by solem- nity, and hortatory sermons by energy and pathos. In short, style must be the combined expression of thought and feeling adapted to occasions, and every preacher should feel himself called upon to cultivate to a high degree and for all possible circumstances the powers of expression which God has given him. POSSIBLE MODES. 307 CHAPTER XIII. THE DELIVERY OF SERMONS. § 1. Possible Modes. In public speaking three distinct modes are poesi- ble. The first is a recitation from memory of a pre- viously composed discourse. The second is the read- ing of such a discourse from manuscript. The third is the extemporaneous utterance of language com- posed in the act of speaking. These several modes are sometimes blended in greater or less proportions, as in reciting part of a sermon and reading the rest, or in reading some parts and extemporizing others. The propriety of blending the three modes occasion- ally or habitually will be discussed further along. Our present task will be to consider them separately, remarking in advance that each mode has strenuous advocates, and some special advantages as well as dis- advantages. It consequently becomes young preach- ers to acquaint themselves thoroughly with the whole subject before forming habits which in after life they may regret, but find difficult, if not impossible, to be changed. RECITATION". On the supposition that a discourse is well com- posed and perfectly committed to memory, the speak- er can come before his audience with the advantage of knowing precisely what he is to say, and prepared to give himself wholly to the task of delivery and the perfection of his elocution. Hence in set orations, 308 EECITATION. and especially tliose wliicli are to be repeated many times, this mode of preparation will enable a speaker to utter the most polished diction in the most artistic manner. These were results w^hich the Grecian sys- tem of oratory aimed to accomplish. Under that system it was even customary for some of the great masters, like Isocrates and Demosthenes, to compose orations for minor orators to declaim. Recitation was the general practice of the inost eminent orators of antiquity, although the most able critics doubt whether Demosthenes and Cicero recited their ora- tions word for word, since there are many proofs that at times they employed both words and thoughts sug- gested by occasions. Recitation has also been adopt- ed by many orators of modern times, including not a few celebrated preachers. Recitation may be said to have been the general practice of Roman Catholic preachers. We are now to consider recitation from memory in reference to its habitual practice by preachers of the Gospel. In this view it is subject to many and seri- ous objections. 1. It has a greater tendency to exhibit the orator than to carry convictions of truth to the i^ections. -j^g^^^^g ^£ -^-g ijLcarers. Hearers instinctively perceive the difference between a discourse uttered at the moment and one which is recited from memory. The latter seldom if ever commands the same degree of attention or respect ; while it frequently excites the suspicion of plagiarism, and the feelings of contempt that are cherished toward the finesse and trickery of art. 2. Except in cases of extraordinary memory it re- quires nearly double the time of preparation, and consequently must be an intolerable tax upon tlie LOSS OF TIME. 309 time of any one who preaches often and with suitable variety. How profitless such a tax will prove is strikingly illustrated by Dr. Beattie, w^io in his Essay on Memory estimates that two days will ordinarily be required to thoroughly memorize a discourse ; with- out taking into account the necessity of preaching two, three, or more sermons each week, as is the nec- essary habit of most American ministers. On the supposition that a minister has to preach one sermon a w^eek, and that to memorize each sermon w^ill re- quire two days' labor, he remarks : Two days every week are almost a third part of human hfe. And when one considers that the sermons thus committed to memory are forgotten as soon as delivered, which is also a com- mon case, who would not regret such a waste of time ? At this rate, of thirty years employed in the ministry there are almost ten consumed — in what? In drudgery more laborious and far more unprofitable than that of a school-boy, in loading the memory with words which are not remembered for three days together. 3. Recitation from memory subjects a preacher to a painful liability to error and failure. Even the omission or displacement of a word will sometimes destroy the propriety of a sentence, and utterly con fuse a speaker. Such occurrences are not only pain- ful to an audience, but destructive of self-possession in the preacher, often filling him with exciting appre- hensions, which harass his nerves and unfit him for the proper delivery of his message by diverting his attention from his subject to himself and his fears. Lf the preacher's memory is tenacious it will have a tendency to confuse the language of one sermon with that of another, or the different passages of one ser- mon with each other. Thus every additional sermon committed threatens a preacher of advancing yeara 310 BEADING. with an ever-growing incubus, and an ever-decreasing power to throw it off. 4. ISTothing so effectually as this habit cripples all power of self-reliance in circumstances which demand spontaneous utterance, and renders the before tri- umphant orator powerless in an emergency. 5. This habit not only involves tedious preparation, but renders preaching impracticable in those states of health which forbid protracted application of the mind to verbal expression. READING. This style of delivery is peculiar to the modem pulpit and lecture-room. It was unknown among ancient orators, it was never commended by any cel- ebrated rhetorician, nor officially by any Christian denomination, council, presbytery, association, con- vention, or conference, at least of any high authority. Nevertheless, during the last two centuries it has been extensively adopted in England and the United States of America, the only two countries where it is known or practiced to any considerable extent. A historic statement of its origin is given further along."* The object of this section is simply to state its theo- retic advantages and disadvantages. The following ADVANTAGES are claimed in behalf of reading as a mode of delivering sermons : 1. That it necessitates the habit of thorough prep- aration for preaching. 2. It secures by means of the requisite preparation elegance and finish of style. 3. It conduces to exactness in the statement of truth and duty, and lience is specially important in doctrinal discourses. * Vide page 324, also Appendix C. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES. 311 4. That as compared with recitation it is a great saving of time. 6. That it is specially adapted to relieve the fears and prevent the failures of persons of great diffidence, and also of those who only preach occasionally. 6. That in many cases, as that of Chalmers for example, it serves as a wholesome check on extreme volubility. 7. That, although attended with some disadvant- ages, it is, on the whole, a means of elevating the character of a minister's preaching and of increasing the weight of his influence. On the other hand, numerous objections are urged against the reading of sermons : 1. That it is a modern innovation, wholly inconsist- ent with the example of the Saviour, the apostles, ftnd the fathers of the Church. 2. That it is a "supine and slothful way of preaching." 3. That the confined attitude of a reader is incom- patible with the freedom and power of an effective delivery. 4. That the occupation of the eye with a manu script deprives a speaker of one of the most signifi- cant and effective means of engaging the attention and enlisting the sympathies of his hearers ; also, that the voice in reading can never be so natural or expressive as in free speaking. 5. That even more than recitation it prevents the preacher from uttering new thoughts, or availing him- self of the inspiration of the occasion or of the Holy Spirit. 6. That it is unfavorable to the highest degree of eloquence and of usefulness in the pulpit. 7. That it is, in fact, no guard against indolence of 312 EXTEMPORANEOUS DELIVEEY. preparation, but often tends to tliat by the necessity it involves of repeating sermons, and tliat without adaptation to change of circumstances. 8. That it involves a great waste of time and energy by appropriating to mere verbal composi- tion a large ].)ortion of life which ought to be devoted to thought and liberalizing study. EXTEMPORANEOUS DELIVEEY. This must be pronounced the normal method of human speech. Man is endowed alike with powers of thought and of utterance; and so intimate is the union between the two classes of powers that ordinarily one is regarded as the measure of the other. Circumstances of education and habit, however, sometimes derange the appropriate balance between these classes of faculties, cultivating one at the ex- pense of its counterpart. This fact is exemplified equally in the cases of persons who by boldness and practice acquire great fluency of speech without cor- responding knowdedge, and of those who acquire much knowledge without the capacity of correctly and freely communicating it in speech. The only just use of words is to serve as vehicles of thought. A judicious advocacy of extemporaneous delivery must therefore always be based upon an appropriate preliminary education of both classes of faculties, as well as specific provision of thought in advance of verbal utterance. As well may a man who cannot construct grammatical sentences be ad- vised to write sermons, as one to speak extempora- neously who has no adequate thoughts to express. The quality of extemporaneousuess, therefore, must be considered as applying exclusively to language. OBJECTIONS. 313 It consists in the ready or instantaneous expression of tlionglit in fitting words. The objections nrged against extemporaneous de- li 7ery are chiefly based upon its abuses, or *'. , ^-^ ^- p -^ Objectiona. upon madecpate preparation tor its success- ful accomplishment. The most prominent are the following : 1. That it tends to repetition, verbosity, looseness of construction, and many other faults of style. 2. That a ready utterance of words is apt to be substituted for solidity and profundity of thought. 3. That the confidence of speaking easily or flu- ently predisposes preachers to indolence of mental and spiritual preparation ; in other words, to make extempore speech the vehicle of extempore thought. 4. It is also objected to extempore preaching that it lowers the dignity of the Gospel message by making its utterance mediocre and commonplace. Intelligent advocates of extemporaneous delivery should never apologize for any such faults or abuses, but should rather insist upon that previous discipline of the powers of thought and of speech which will efi'ectually guard against them. 6. It is further alleged, with truth, that the excel- lence of extemporaneous preaching is variable. If it sometimes, under favorable circumstances, rises above a given standard, at other times it falls below. This, however, is true, at least in some degree, of the other modes of delivery, since it often happens that when a Bermon must be composed, the preacher may not be in a favorable state of health or frame of mind for writing ; while the best written productions, whether read or recited, often fail entirely of adaptation to the circumstances of a preacher or his congrega- tion. 314 ADVANTAGES. In favor of extemporaneous delivery a. 6 Advantasrss. •' several important considerations : 1. As tlie natural mode of speech, it is that to which a speaker feels originally prompted and that which the hearer demands. 2. It most readily secures and fixes attention. 3. If preceded by suitable preparation it is favor- able to the most spirited, if not the most polished composition. 4. It avoids the mechanical dryness of recitation and the prosy dullness of reading, while it arouses in the highest degree the interested sympathy of both speaker and hearer. 5. It enables the speaker to take advantage of the thoughts and impressions of the hour, and especially of the inspiration of impressive scenes. 6. It places him 'in the true and only position to receive aid from on high while speaking, either by a general quickening of his powers, or the special sug- gestion of thoughts or words. 7. It is sanctioned and commended by the best examples of preaching, and by the most perfect speci- mens of ancient and modern eloquence. A COMPOSITE MODE OF DELIVERY. It is a matter of legitimate inquiry whether a preacher may not so blend the several modes of de- livery just described as to avoid the defects and secure the advantages of all. Without doubt some concession should be made to circumstances, and also to mental or physical constitutions. Hence any preacher who, sincerely desiring to make the most of his talents in the service of God, finds on careful experiment that either mode of preaching is bet ter adapted to render him useful than the others, A BLENDING OF MODES. 315 Bhould feel at liberty to adopt and practice tliat in preference. Whichever general style of delivery he may adopt, it is unquestionably his duty to render it as free as possible from objections. If he recite from memory he should seek to be able to introduce new and pertinent passages, or to omit those which are h relevant, at pleasure. If he read, the more nearly his reading approaches free delivery the more effect- ual it will be. If, again, he practice extempore speech he should cultivate a terse and accurate style of dic- tion and solidity of thought, as well as warmth of feeling. While, therefore, circumstances may some times enable an extempore preacher readily to re- member and naturally to recite some passages of his written preparation, so they may at other times sug- gest valuable additions to the recited or read dis- course. It must nevertheless be regarded as a general rule, that any composite style of delivery will exhibit patchwork, and lack that symmetry essential to a perfect impression. On this subject Dr. J. W. Alex- ander says in his " Thoughts on Preaching :" The whole train of operations is dijfferent in reading or writing a discourse, and in pronouncing it extempore. If I maj borrow a figure from engines, the mind is geared differently. No man goes from one track to the other without a painful jog at the " switch." And this is, I suppose, the reason why Dr. Chalmers cautions his students against every attempt to mingle reading with free speaking. It is not unlike trying to speak in two lan- guages. It requires the pi-actice of years to dovetail an extem- poraneous paragraph gracefully into a written sermon. [N'evertheless, it may be done, but usually only by those who have first acquired readiness and correct- ness of extemporaneous speech. 316 historical view. § 2. Historical Yiew of the Practice and The- ory OF Preachers in different Ages and Countries in reference to the Mode of De- livery. If the present were a topic of ordinary importance it might be dismissed with the foregoing general con- siderations, leaving students and yoong ministers to choose between conflicting theories in accordance with their inclinations. But it has happened that on this subject, more than any other within the range of homiletics, different theories and divergent prac- tice have prevailed. It therefore seems important that students of the present day should be furnished with the means of judging for themselves as to the value of the lessons to be derived from the experience and discussions of the past. This indeed seems the more important in view of the strange constructions that have been put upon history by some of the advocates of reading sermons. Even the excellent Dr. Porter, of Andover, makes use of the followino- statements : o How far the practice of preaching extemporary discourses pre- railed among the fathers cannot be determined with certainty. Oingen is supposed to be the first who introduced this method. This, however, he did not attempt, as Eusebius affirms, till he was more than sixty years of age, and had acquired by expe- rience great freedom in the pulpit. This passage would seem to indicate that down to the third century reading had been the rule, and that Origen at an advanced age introduced extempora- neous delivery as an exception. The same writer again asserts : " Though there were in the primitive ages many exceptions, it seems plainly to liave been APOSTOLIC rHACTICE. 317 the general usage that sermons were written." The reader shall be enabled to judge of the facts in chro- noloo-ical order. o 1. Scripture history gives no countenance to the, idea that sermons were read previous to the close of the aiyostolic era. From the earlier chapters of this work the reader will have learned in what sense certain worthies of the Old Testament are to be regarded as preachers. But who can imagine anything more absurd than the idea that Enoch, or N^oah, or Moses, or Solomon, or the Jewish prophets appeared before the people whom thej addressed with manuscripts from which to read, or even with memorized orations to recite. N^o less absurd would be any similar supposition re- specting the manner observed by our Lord in his preaching and teaching. " Then he opened his mouth and taught them, saying," is Matthew's brief description of the manner in which Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount. Equally significant are the words of Luke, describing our Lord's sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth. "When he had closed the book and sat down, and the eyes of all them in the synagogue were fastened on him, " he began to Bay unto them," etc. "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." An examination of all the accounts we have of the preaching of those great evangelists Peter and Paul, as well as the other apostles, will lead us to a similar (3onclusion with respect to their mode of address. "While we cannot doubt the anxiety of thought and study which they devoted to the great subjects of their Gospel message, all allusions to their preaching and teaching, whether among the Jews or Gentiles, indi- 318 PBACTICE OF THE FATHERS. cate that tliey spoke off-liand, and were ever ready for a correct and forcible utterance of the truth in language adapted to the circumstances in which they were placed. 2. The habit of extemporaneous discourse was hand- ed doiun hy the apostles to their i7n?nediate successors in the 7ninistry of the Word, and was exclusively practiced during the early ages of the Church. As a convenient mode of proving this, the follow- ing quotation is inserted from the Ilulsean Prize Essay of 1858, by the Kev. H. M. Moule, of Cam- bridge, entitled " Christian Oratory ; an Inquiry into its History during the First Five Centuries :" The early preachers followed, with apparently very rare ex- ceptions, the practice of extemporaneous preaching ; understand- ing by that general term all kinds of delivery short of reading from a complete MS., or from very full notes. It was reckoned a desirable if not an essential requisite in a preacher that he should be able to discourse to the congregation on a part of Holy Scripture from the pure inspiration of the moment. Owing to the prevalence of this custom, we owe nearly all the discourses that have come down to us from the early fathers, not to their own pens, but to those of notaries, (note-takers,) or short-hand writers, who reported their homilies and sermons for the use of their friends and posterity. Of these notaries there were two kinds : the one class so far authorized as to be considered professional, the other consisting of amateurs, persons who either loved the Gospel or the preacher so much as to wish to preserve the words which fell from the lips of the latter. In the works of the fatliers we find numerous proofs of the cus tom of reporting. Gregory IS^azianzen, in a sermon preached at Constantinople, alluded publicly to the two classes mentioned above. Gaudentius of Brescia, PRj^CTICE OF THE FATnERS. 319 In a preface to his sermoDs, mentions that the note- takers had inaccurately reported his words. Accord- ing to Xeander and others the recensions fonnd necessary among the homilies of the fathers were owing to the differences and errors of the tachy- graphs. A remark made of Origen by Ensebins, Book YI, chap, xxxvi, illustrates both the custom of preaching and reporting prevalent in the period re- ferred to : Then, as "was to be expected, our religion spreading more and more, and our brethren beginning to converse more freely with all, Origen, who they say was now more than sixty years of age, and who from long practice had acquired great facility in dis- coursing, permitted his discourses to be taken down by ready writers, a thing which he had never allowed before. This passage of Eusebius is quoted in full, that the reader may judge of the extreme misapprehension of its meaning indicated by the language of Dr. P., heretofore quoted. The truth is, that a man who had practiced reading or reciting his sermons till he was more than sixty years old would hardly then think of learning to practice extempore speech. Whereas, having undoubtedly practiced that style of Bpeech for long years, and thus acquired great facility in discoursing, he threw off his youthful diffidence, and allowed the ready writers to report his discourses for posterity, which would have been unnecessary had they been already written. If further proof is needed that the custom of the *athers was to preach extemporaneously, it is to be .found in the character and structure of their dis- courses, which are for the greater part familiar expositions of the Scriptures, in which any other than freely-spoken address would have been out of place. Besides, they contain various passages which 320 PRACTICE OF THE FATHERS. owed tlieir origin to passing events, and consequently Bxampies from coiild not havc been x^recomposed. The ciiryBostom. foUowing fpom Clirysostom are examples : The concourse of clouds (he says on the appearance of a sud- den storm) has made it somewhat overcast for us to-day. But the presence of our teacher, the Bishop Flavian, has rendered it brighter. For the sun, when he darts his beams from tlie midst of the central summit of heaven, casts no such light upon our bodies as the presence of paternal affection pours a brilliance into our souls, darting its beams from the midst of the (episco- pal) throne." The fourtli sermon, on texts from Genesis, has in it the curious passage about lighting the lamps during divine service : Let me beg you to arouse yourselves, and to put away that sluggishness of mind. But why do I say this? At the very time when I am setting forth before you the Scriptures, yon are turning your eyes away from me and fixing them on the lamps, and upon the man who is lighting the lamps. O, of what a sluggish soul is this the mark, to leave the preacher and turn to him! I too am kindling the fire of the Scriptures ; and upon my tongue there is burning a taper — the taper of sound doctrine. Greater is this light, and better, than the light that is yonder. For, unlike that man, it is no wick steeped in oil that I am light- ing up. I am rather inflaming souls, moistened with piety, by the desire of heavenly discourse. Again, in the third homily on David and Saul, having perceived among the audience some persons who had attended the theater instead of the Church the Sunday before, he opens the discourse by express- ing his regret that he could not distinguish them with certainty, that so he might exclude them from a participation in the Holy Communion. 3. The custom of reciting sermons m whole or in fart was introduced jprdbably during the fourth cen- RECITATION INTRODUCED. 321 ^wz-y. It was adopted partly as a means of a nioro showy style of oratory, and partly as an accommoda- tion to tlie incapacity of some ecclesiastics who were not capable of preaching edifying sermons of their own, but could recite those of other men. It is well known that some of the more prominent fathers of the fourth century took lessons in oratory from the teachers of their day, and studied the works of the Grecian rhetoricians, which embodied most of the learning then extant upon critical and literary topics. This was true not only of the pompous Gregory, but of the ascetic Jerome ; while Augustine, both before and after his conversion, taught rhetoric as a profession. Neander thinks that the character even of Chrysostom was somewhat injured by this cause. He says, (Life, p. 7) : The prejudicial effect which the prevailing system of rhetoric had upon him as a preacher cannot be overlooked, although in Inm, more than in Gregory Nazianzen, it was softened down by a Christian simplicity of character and by a depth of mind. Augustine, in his work on Christian Teaching, form- aHy justifies the practice of reciting sermons in behalf of "those who are destitute of invention, but can speak well provided they select well-written dis- courses of another man, and commit them to memory for the instruction of their hearers." E'evertheless, his recommendation is very guarded. " They will not do badly {non imjyrobe faciant) if they take this course ;" which, however he only seems to approve in view of the necessity of having the people instructed in the truth by some method or other. Having made this concession, he proceeds to illus- trate a more excellent way by admonishing the preacher of the absolute importance of making his 21 322 CONTINENTAL PKACTICE. hearers compreliend what he utters, and enjoining upon him " to read in the eyes and countenances of his auditors whether they understand him or not, and to repeat the same thing by giving it different terms, till he perceives it is understood ; an advantage which those cannot have who, by a servile dependence on their memories, learn their sermons by heart, and re- peat them as so many lessons." Notwithstanding these wholesome counsels of Augustine, the habit of reciting, once introduced, spread widely, being fostered at once by the igno- rance of centuries following, and the decline of pulpit zeal and power. In fact it became, and has since re- mained, the prevailing custom of both the Greek and Roman Churches. 4:. Recitation has heen retained as the prevailing custom of the Continental Churches of different na- tions^ Protestant cos loell as Catholic. Influential efforts have been made from time to time in both Churches to induce a return to the primitive mode of free delivery, but in no case has the reading of sermons been authoritatively vindicated or practiced on the continent. Fenelon's dialogues may be regarded as stating the very best opinions derived from an enlightened Eo- man Catholic view. That work discusses but two methods of preaching: first, that of reciting discourses memoriter, "word for word," to which it opposes numerous pertinent objections ; and, second, that of the speaker " who fills his mind with the subject he is to talk of." He says : In short, a man who has considered all the principles and parts of the subject he is to handle, and has a comprehensive view of tbem in all their extent; who has reduced his thoughts to a proper method, and prepared the strongest expressions to exphii uu MONOD'S VIEWS. 823 tiid enforce them in a sensible manner; who arranges all liis ar- jruments, and has a sufficient number of affecting figures; such a man certainly knows everything he ought to say and the order in which the whole sliould be placed ; to succeed, therefore, in his delivery he wants nothing but those common expressions that must make the bulk of his discourse. Do you believe now that such a person would have any difficulty in finding easy and ♦'rimiliar expressions ? In these views Fenelon practically followed his great master, Augustine, who having demonstrated the superior importance of subjects or things to words says : " Let not the preacher become a servant of words ; rather let words be servants to the preacher. This is what the apostle says, 'not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be made of none effect.' " In our own day we find Adolphe Monod, the most celebrated Protestant preacher of France, expressing similar views, more tolerant indeed toward recitation, but with specific objections to reading. He says ; If we read, it is almost impossible to assume a tone entirely natural ; either because the art of reading well is perhaps moro difficult than that of speaking well, or because the preacher who reads, when he is supposed to be speaking, places himself thereby in a kind of false position, of which he must undergo the penalty. He subsequently adds : Finally, will it be possible to avoid the inconveniences just mentioned, and shall we certainly attain a simple delivery by. abandoning ourselves to extempore speaking? I believe, indeed, that this is the method in which one may hope for the best de- livery ; provided always that the speaker has so great a facility, or so complete a preparation, or, what is better, both at once, as to be freed from the necessity of a painful search for thoughts and words. Without this it is the worst of all methods for mat- ter as well as for form.* * A. Monod on the Deliveiy of Sermons. See Appendix to Select Discourses, published by Sheldon, Blakeman, & Co., New York. 324: ORIGIN OF READING IN ENGLAND. 5. TJie custom of reading sermons arose in Englana about the middle of the sixteenth century^ during the troubles of the Reformation. Bishop Burnet, in his History of the Reformation, gives the following account of its origin about 1542 : Now that the Ptcformation made a greater progress, much pains was taken to send eminent preachers over the nation ; not con- fining them to particular charges, but sending them with the king's license up and down to many places. Many of these li- censes are enrolled, and it is likely that many were granted that were not so carefully preserved. But provision was also made for people's daily instruction; and because in that ignorant time, there could not be found a sufficient number of good preachers, and in a time of so much juggling, they would not trust the instruction of the people to every one, therefore none was to preach except he had gotten a particular license for it from the king or his diocesan. But to qualify this a book of homilies was printed, in which the Gospels and epistles of all the Sundays and holidays of the year were set down, with a hom- ily to every one of these, which is a plain and practical para- phrase on these parcels of Scripture. To these are added many serious exhortations, and some short explanations of the most ob- vious difficulties, that show the compiler of them was a man both of good judgment and learning. To these were also added sermons upon several occasions; as for weddings, christenings, and m- nerals; and these were to be read to the people by such as were not licensed to preach. But those who were licensed to preach, being oft accused for their sermons, and complaints being made to the king by hot men on both sides, they came generally to write and read their sermons. From thence the reading of ser- mons grew into a practice in this Church ; in which, if there was not that heat and fire which the friars had showed in their declamations, so that the passions of the hearers were not so much wrought on by it, yet it has produced the greatest treasure of weighty, grave, and solid sermons tliat ever the Church of God had ; which does in a great measure compensate that seem- ing flatness to vulgar ears that is in the delivery of them. The same author in another connection says : CUSTOM CONTINUED. 325 The practice of reading sermons commenced among us a long time after the Reformation, and its introduction excited general alarm, indignation, and disgust. During the reign of Charles the Second the follow- ing royal order was published against the custom : Mr. Vice-Chanoelloe and Gentlemen : Whereas his majesty is informed that the practice oi reading sermons is generally taken up hy the preachers before the university, and therefore contin- ued even before himself, his majesty hath commanded me to signify to you his pleasure that the said practice, which took be- ginning with the disorders of the late times, be wholly laid aside; and that the aforesaid preachers deliver their sermons, both in Latin and English, by memory, or without book, as being a way of preaching which his majesty judgeth most agreeable to the use of all foreign Churches, to the custom of the university here- tofore, and to the nature and intendment of that holy exercise. And that his majesty's commands in the premises may be duly regarded and observed, his further pleasure is that the names of all such ecclesiastical persons as shall continue the present supine and slothful way of preaching be from time to time signified unto me by the vice-chancellor for the time being, upon pain of his majesty's displeasure. Monmouth. Octobers, 1674. 6. Notwithstanding all opposition^ this custom of reading sermo7is has continued to a certain extent eve?' since, and has given rise to a voluminous controversy^ for the marrow of which the reader is referred to the Appendix of this volume. Eeaders of the controversy can hardly fail to per- ceive that the best of the argument has always been in opposition to reading. ^Nevertheless, the custom has always found adherents, and that among the learned, who ought to have been most capable of dispensing with it. 7. After three hundred years of discussion and ex- periment with reference to the advantages and disad- 326 MODERN CONVICTION. vantages of reading, the best modern opinion is hi fa- vor of the primitive mode of extemporaneous address^ Tendered, however, as nearly perfect as possible by col- lateral and auxiliary writing. The extracts of the Appendix are submitted in part proof of this important proposition. From them it will appear, that however much is conceded to the import- ance of writing as a means of self-culture to the min- ister, and as an agency for perpetuating ministerial influence through the aid of the press, jet that the most effective public speaking has always been ex^ temporaneous, and that every active Christian de- nomination of the present day is making strenuous exertion to induce its rising ministers to qualify them- selves for effective and powerful extemporaneous ad- dress. At least prominent individuals or periodicals representing the evangelical portion of the Church of England, the English Independents, the Baptists of England and America, the Unitarians, Congrega- tionalists, Presbyterians, and Protestant Episcopalians of this country, appear now to be striving with one accord toward the accomplishment of this important object. In all quarters it seems to be conceded that revivals of religion have been and are to be chiefly promoted by the extemporaneous delivery of truly evangelical sermons.* The "VVesleyan Churches both of Europe and Amer- * Corresponding to these movements among the Protestants of En- gland and America a similar one is in progress among the Catholics of France. M. Bautain, Vicar-General and professor at the Sorbonne, tho oldest theological school in Paris, has recently published an entire vol- ume on extempore speaking, urging its general adoption by the clergy. This indicates tliat the French are becoming tired of recited sermons. The American translation of Bautain has already been adopted as a text-book in certain Koman Catholic and Protestant Episcopal institu- tions of this country, and will doubtless exert a wide influence in pro- moting prompt and effective habits of eloquence. THE PRIMITIVE MODE 327 .ca liave fiom the beginning maintained a uniform and consistent record on the subject. They attribute their rapid progress and glorious successes in no small degree to the blessing of God upon their consistent adherence to this primitive mode of proclaiming the Gospel. Our fathers expected to see men awakened and converted under their sermons, and the expectation led to an adaptation of their discourses to this end. A sermon that had not some visible eftect was never satisfactory, whatever might be the hope of its future results. It was usual with them to end the discourse with a home-directed and overwhelming application, and often to follow it immediately with exercises of prayer, that they might gather up the shaken fruit on the spot. Hence revivals flamed along their extensive circuits. They were worTcmen^ and workmen that needed not to be asharfled. Extemporaneous preaching was, until lately, the universal usage of our ministry. It was more than this ; it was, as we have intimated, a necessary characteristic of the kind of pi*each- ing we have attributed to tliem. We cannot, indeed, conceive of the preaching we have described as other than extemporaneous. Reading never could be preaching, in this sense, any more than the letters of the one word spell the other. How those heroic men could have gone thundering through the land, prostrating multitudes to the earth, or melting them to tears, by the reading of manuscripts, is a problem which certainly no experiment ever solved and no logic can show. They would have been an entirely different class of men, and Methodism a quite different affair, if they had been readers instead of what they preeminently were — p reachers.* Not only the loftiest oratory, but the largest success has al- ways attended upon the speakiug ministry ; not only Christianity in its infancy, but every revival of it since its first corruption made its early and only advances under a speaking ministry; and Methodism, therefore, which is the latest revival, and the recovery of the original ideal of this glorious woi-k, has achieved its triumphs, and spread itself into if not over every quarter of * Stevens's "Preaching Eequired by the Times," pp. 131-140. 328 NOT TO BE ABANDONED. the globe, by following that style of speaking wliicli the science and art of oratory, in their profoundest productions and most illustrious examples, have always recognized as based on the nature of things, and the natural tastes and judgment of man- kind.— Tefft. It. is certainly therefore to be hoped that with Id creasing facilities for education there will, by these Churches in the future, be no abandonment of this truly apostolic mode of preaching. Let the standard be elevated by all legitimate means. Let the pen be a constant auxiliary; but let the experience of the past be considered as having demonstrated this to be the most excellent way. Note. — As King Cliarles of England in the seven- teenth century uttered his official protest against serm®n reading, so Queen Victoria in the nineteenth has made public commendation of extempore preaching. The following is from her published diary : October 29, 1854. — We went to the Kirk as usual at twelve o'clock. The service was performed by the Rev. jSTormaa M'Leod, of Glasgow, and anything finer I never heard. Tlie sermon, entirely extempore, was quite admirable; so simple, and yet so eloquent, and so beauti- fully argued and put. . . . Every one came back deliglited, and how satisfactory it is to come back from church with such feelings 1 To this royal indorsement of extempore preaching may be added that of one of the sovereign people of America, who, having heard the same preacher, ex- pressed his appreciation both of the man and his manner in the following terms : I would give a hundred dollars, yes, two hundred, if I could hear another sermon that would do me as much good as the only one I ever heard from Dr. M'Leod. I shall never forget it. Tie did not look at a scrap of paper from beginning to end. But he took hold of me with a grip which lie has never let go to this day. ELOCUTION DEFINED. 329 CHAPTER XIV. PULPIT ELOCUTION. §1. ITature and Importance of Elocution. Anciently the term elocution was used to signify style, and whatever belonged to verbal expression. At that period the term pronunciation was emploj ed as the equivalent of vocal delivery. Even in the English language a similar use of the terms has continued till recently. Of late a change Las become fairly established by which pronunciation is limited to the utterance of syllables and words, and elocution is employed to signify vocal utterance and whatever belongs to oratorical delivery. Accord- ing to the ancient nomenclature practical rhetoric embraced invention, disposition, elocution, and pro- nunciation. In modern phrase it embraces inven- tion, disposition, style, and elocution. In this sense elocution has been quite too much overlooked by writers on homiletics, and also by preachers. Indeed, some able writers, "Whately, for example, have urgently opposed the study of elocution on the ground that it produced artificiality of manner. "Be natural," say they, *' and the whole end is gain- ed." But their use of the term natural is equivocal. For man to be natural in the absolute sense is to be a savage, occupying but a single grade above the brutes. For elevated and cultivated manhood to be natural is quite another thing. It is to set up a standard of the highest excellence attainable, and to reach as near to it as possible by all legitimate efforts and means. 830 ESSENTIALITY OF EXPRESSION. "It requires all oiir learning," said Baxter, "to make tilings plain." So it requires the best educa- tion to be natural in tlie noblest sense. It is a very inconsistent pliilosophy which would educate the eye, the ear, the hand, and the brain, and yet refuse train- ing and culture to the T^ice. Every true theory of education seeks to maintain a just balance between the powers of expression and those of acquisition. Otherwise the mind becomes a mere absorbent, use- less for any positive agency. If, however, a paral- lel cultivation is maintained, every acquisition may be employed for the good of others. The whole theory of homiletics presupposes this. It demands, indeed, a power of utterance equal to an Essentiauty of offcctivc cxprcssion of all the ideas which expression. Christian experience and intellectual effort, aided by the spirit of grace, may have furnished the preacher. With anything less than this his work cannot be accomplished. For moral ends superior knowledge and even divine truth avail nothing if they can have no expression. But while written words are capable of expressing both to the eye of intelligent readers, the voice is the organ of expres- sion to the ears of them that can hear. Who can . estimate the value of the human voice as the agent of communication between the heart of the preacher and the souls of immortal beings ? The power of speech, in close alliance with that of reason, distin- guishes man from all orders of beings below him. And infinite wisdom has seen fit to appoint this pecul- iar power as the instrumentality by which men are to be convinced of the truth, and saved from their sins. Now, is any man called of God to preach the Gospel justified in so using or neglecting his powers of speech that tliey w^ill be incapable of performing ELOCU'ilOX EXECUTIVE. 331 their intended office ? There is a positive sin in tliis matter, by whicli some men weaken their lungs and shorten their Hves, and a negative sin of nearly equal flagrancy, by which others make their speecli like the croaking of ravens or the cooing of doves, in- stead of that noble, manly utterance which is at once pleasant and powerful, conveying, not to tens or hund- reds only, but even to thousands, the overwhelming influences of vital trutli. The voice, like every other power of the body or mind, is strengthened by appropriate exercise. Hence it is possible to make the work of preaching both agreeable and healthful to the speaker, instead of exhausting and destructive of life. One office of good elocution is to guide the speaker's effi)rts aright in this respect. Another is to secure the maximum of impressiveness and power in public address. In both respects its importance is inestimable. Pulpit elocution is to be regarded as the executive branch of homiletics. It is the divinely-appointed channel of communication between a preacher and his hearers. By means of a good delivery the preacher may apply the results of his own studies and the full power of Gospel truth to the hearts and consciences of men. For lack of it the best preparation may be rendered nugatory, and the Gospel itself a subject of scoffing and reproach. The proper office of a book like the present is rather to indicate the nature and breadth of the subject of elocution than to elaborate its details. Fortunately, there is no lack of element- ary works or of good instructors at the present day, by whose aid correct principles and practice may be acquired. Ministers of the Gospel, however, should not content themselves with the routine of class- instruction, or with the mere perusal of text -books. 332 FAULTS TO BE AVOIDED. Securing all tlie valuable aid they can from such sources, they should enter upon a well-planned and far-reaching course of self-discipline, aiming at the highest excellence, and not being content to stop short of it. If tempted to flag in the pursuit, let them remember Demosthenes. In the first instance they should aim to secure just views of the subject in its various relations, remembering that instead of being confined to the mere cultivation of the voice, it requires the enlistment and subjection of every noble power of manhood to the one idea of expeession. § 2. Faults to be Avoided. In considering this subject it is well to be ad- monished of some of the leading faults of manner against which the minister should be on his guard. AWKWARDNESS. It is always distressing to an intelligent audience to witness clumsy movements, awkward gestures, or any species of ungainliness in manner on the part of a speaker, and especially of a preacher. The publicity of his office makes him the observed of all observers, and there are seldom wanting those who are glad to be relieved of attention to important subjects by any- thing so legitimately within their field of criticism. Besides, it is usually understood that the refining in- fluences of education and religion should elevate the preacher above this fault, or any special liability to it. CARELESSNESS. Whether real or affected, careless actions or modes of speech are a great fault in public speakers, and especially in the pulpit. They belong properly to the clown, never to the orator. They usually excite FAULTS TO BE AVOIDED. 333 the disgust of hearers, who can never bear to be trifled with. Whatever apology may be offered for awkwardness, carelessness in a preacher, whether in reference to pronunciation, verbiage, statements, or general demeanor, admits of none. HAUGHTINESS AND HARSHNESS. The first of these faults pertains to manner and bearing, the second to speech. The one indicates an evil heart, the other a vicious or uncontrolled tem- per. And yet they unfortunately attach themselves to some preachers to an extent which greatly preju- dices the effect of their ministrations. ]^o men have greater need than ministers to wish to " see themselves as others see them ;" and in order to do so as much as possible they should look often into the Gospel glass, and also elicit from capable and judicious friends, at proper times, free and candid criticisms. FORMALITY. It is possible, in the endeavor to avoid awkward- ness and carelessness, to go to an extreme of precise- ness which appears stiff and artificial. Formality suggests to an audience that a speaker thinks more of himself than of his message. It is a scabbard on the sword of the Spirit ; it is a cloak of tinsel thrown over the offensive armor of a Christian warrior, and should be put off as sure to embarrass the freedom and power of his movements. LEVITY. Some men have to struggle with a natural light- ness of character which greatly weakens their minis- terial influence, and often mars the propriety of the 334 FAULTS TO BE AVOIDED. most solemn services in wliicli tliey participate. When such men find their way into the puipit there is but one remedy for their tendency to make light, often unintentionally, of sacred things. It is to be found in a habitual contemplation of the solemnities of the sacred office, and in devout prayer for a proper sense of its proprieties. Minds naturally or by habit addicted to trivial thoughts and grotesque associa- tions will require persevering effort and great assist- ance of divine grace to avoid a lightness of manner which will greatly detract from the influence of their public addresses, especially in behalf of religion, \fONOTOXY AND DULLNESS. The former attaches itself to tones of voice, simi- larity of expression, and sameness of thought. The latter follows as an inevitable sequence. Both are offensive to taste and grievous hinderances to the suc- cess of the Gospel. It is a legitimate object of elo- cutionary training to break up monotony of pitch and of inflections, and to induce those variations of voice and accent which are necessary to express the ever-varying thoughts and emotions of the human mind. Activity of mind and vitality of Christian experience should equally break up and destroy monotony of thought and expression. § 3. Excellences to be Acquired. Opposite and to some extent j)arallel to the above- named faults are numerous graces to be acquired, which belong to the department of elocution, although never developed in their highest phase except un- der the influence of religious sentiment. They will Bcarcely need more than a bare enumeration in ordet to be appreciated. A GOOD PULPIT ELOCUTION. 335 1. Ease, naturalness, and refinement of manners. 2. Gravity, self-possession, and serenity of mind. 3. A mastery of vocal and physical expression. 4. Affectionate anxiety for the welfare of men. 5. Deep, abiding, and powerful earnestness. § 4. Means of Attaining a Good Pulpit Elocution. In order to the attainment of a good, not to say perfect, pulpit elocution, three things are necessary : I. Thorough mental cultivation. II. Systematic training of the physical powers. III. A proper discipline of the heart, resulting in a complete development of tlie moral powers and Busceptibilities of the speaker. I. On the first head words are nnnecessary. No man can be an efiective public speaker who does not know what to say and how to say it. A vacant or a shallow brain cannot pour forth a stream of eloquence. Furthermore, no precepts can enable an ignorant man to pnt off the faults and put on the graces of a complete elocution. Most of the latter are only to be attained as the result of long-continued mental development and thought upon sacred subjects. II. Elocution demands physical training for three important purposes. 1. The proper cultivation of the vocal powers. Although not all of elocution, this is a very im- portant branch of it. Language, as the medium of intelligent speech, has in the course of ages become voluminous and complicated. Whatever may be said of instructive capacities for conversation, it is unreasonable to suppose that any person can develop the oratorical power of a complete modern language without laborious vocal drill upon the elements. 336 PHYSICAL TRAINING. Here indeed is a point of vital importance, and one too much neglected. It involves the essential matter of complete articulation, without which there can be no perfect speech ; without which indeed every word spoken is marred and made an offense to the ear. Happy are those who have not the necessity of remedying habits of bad articulation ; still more so those who, by diligent and persevering practice, have gained such a perfect mastery of the elements of language as to use them with precision and force, and yet without thought or effort. From articulation the speaker advances to pronun- ciation, and thence to inflection, melody, and com- pass of voice. Since the publication of Dr. Eush's great work on the philosophy of the human voice there have appeared various elementary treatises on elocution based upon its demonstrations, some one of which should certainly be mastered by every clerical student of the present day.* By the aid of suitable instruction and a reasonable amount of study and persevering exercise students may hope to acquire excellent qualities of voice, rapidity of modulation, delicacy of expression, and all desirable force of utterance. These attainments should ever be considered as merely elementary to the task of public speaking. But they should, by diligent traming, by correct criticism, 'and habitual use, be so incorporated into the second or cultivated nature of the speaker that in the act of preaching they will per- form their respective ofiices without apparent effort or thought; so that the whole energy of the preacher ♦ One of the best of these is " Vocal Culture," by Eussell and Mur- dock, to which "Pulpit Elocution," by William Kussell, is an excel- lent sequel. PUYSICAL TKAIISING. 337 may be embodied in Lis discourse, and in tlie act of its delivery. 2. The entire physical frame needs discipline with reference to elocution. If the art of penmanship requires a long discipline of the muscles ; if the attainment of any mechanical art, or the ability to play skillfully upon instruments of music requires years of practice, is it not preposterous to suppose that the proper bearing, attitudes, and gestures of an orator can be assumed without study and practice ? It is quite probable that in systems of gesticulation too great stress has sometimes been laid upon minu- tise, and that undue importance has been attached to the finesse of a speaker's manner ; but even such errors should not become a pretext for the neglect of that legitimate training which may enable the entire body, from the expression of the eye to the posture of the foot, to become an animated organ of expres- sion, CO- working wdth the mind as promptly and often as powerfully as the voice itself. 3. Proper physical training with reference to health and vigor is essential to freshness and power of elocu- tion. Our fathers obtained it in their long rides on horseback, and in occasional manual labor, more ef- fectually than do their sons in the best appointed gym- nasia. ITevertheless, if gymnastic exercises are neces- sary as a means of strengthening the body or the voice let them be practiced diligently. In some form let the prevailing tendencies of sedentary life to languor and feebleness be broken up. Otherwise a brief and feeble ministry will be the most that can be hoped for as the sequel of any form or degree of preparation. Proper and persevering exercise has often been the means of arresting disease and prolonging life. If in every case it cannot do this, yet the certainty of its 22 338 MOKAL DISCIPLINE. increasing the muscular power of the system, and adding to the prospects of life and usefulness, is suffi- cient to enjoin its systematic and constant practice upon any minister of the Gospel. Ministers, therefore, should endeavor in their plana of exercise to provide for attaining simultaneously all three of the objects named above. The practice of vocal music, of reading aloud, of declaiming to woods and shores, of gesticulating with the ax, saw, or hoe, and any other means of economizing time or utilizing energy, may be profitable if intelligently directed to the attainment of the objects now recommended. But with all its advantages for such purposes, when governed by a holy motive, bodily exercise will profit but little toward the sublime ends of the Gospel ministry ^vithout a corresponding cultivation of the moral nature. Whatever may be true of secular oratory, pulpit elocution demands, III. A proper discipline of the heart as an essential means of developing the moral power of the preacher. It may not be usual to insist upon this fact in this connection, yet reflection will show that the connec- tion is legitimate. Of what avail are intellectual at- tainments, and all the external graces of the orator toward communicating the peculiar ideas of religion, if unaccompanied by a true spiritual discernment 2 'No man can express that which he does not know. " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they are foolishness unto him : neither can he know them, because they are spirit nally discerned." 1 Cor. ii, 14. Here, then, is a necessity never to be overlooked. Eeiigioua expe- ^^ ^^ inherent in the primary design of rience. proachiug, and must be kept in view in RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 339 *very form of preparation. The preaclier must first have learned " the joyful sound " of the Gospel. His own moral susceptibilities must have been awakened by its thrill ; otherwise, though desiring to be a teacher of the law, he will understand neither what ho. says nor w^hereof he affirms. Equally incapable will he be of reaching the hearts and consciences of other men if his own moral pow ers are not quickened by the truth of God. While, therefore, a true religious experience is to be com- mended on vastly higher grounds than those of elocu- tionary necessity, yet it is proper to urge it even on this ground as indispensable to the preacher of the word. Such an experience will lend a charm to every species of toil necessary to the accomplishment of its longings. It will impart additional graceful- ness to every movement of the frame, a higher signif- icance to every expression of the countenance, and a greater weight to every word of the lips. Thus it is that a deep and lively religious experience becomes the crowning grace of pulpit elocution. Happily, therefore, may the grand essentials of spiritual life and progress be made tributary to the glorious object of proclaiming the unsearchable riclies of Christ to a perishing world. 340 IMPOETANCE OF RIGHT VIEW^S. CHAPTER XV. HABITS OF PREPARATION FOR PREACHING. IMPORTANCE OF EIGHT VIEWS. HiGHT views of this subject must ever be of the greatest importance to ministers, and especially to those who are near the commencement of their public ca- reer. It has sometimes been supposed that the advo- cates of extemporaneous delivery disclaim the neces Bity of any preparation for preaching. On the other hand, they urge not only that preparation is important, but that the very best kind of preparation should be ascertained and laboriously practiced. It is but just to concede excellence to a variety of modes ; hence the preacher should be able so far to understand them all as to determine in any given case which is best. ]N"ot only in the pulpit, but in preparation for its individuaiitj. dutics, miuistcrs should recognize and ju- tained. diciously cultivate individuality of char- acter. There are infinite diversities of pulpit gifts, and nearly equal differences of administrations, for the same spiritual result. It is extremely interesting to study the varieties of human talent as applied to this one great business of preaching. There is scarcely an object of beauty or sublimity in nature which has not its counterpart in the varied phases of human eloquence. The balmy zephyr, the rushing storm, the murmuring brook, the raging cataract, the modest violet, the stately oak, the refreshing dew, the rolling ocean, the sunlight and the darkness, each, all, have PRELIMINARY PREPARATION. 341 !heir place in tlie gentle offices or tlie grand move- ments of the material universe. So in the world of mind, God has given talents which in their appropri- ate action create influences as varied and yet as useful in their several spheres. Inherently wrong, therefore, would be any system which should seek to recast all varieties of talent in one mould, or to reduce all preaching or preparation to a fixed and unalterable style. Nevertheless, there are certain great principles not to be lost sight of, and within the range of which all varieties of talent have ample room for the most efficient action. Viewing this subject in a broader aspect than that presented in chapter six, preparation for preaching may be said to be of three kinds, preliminary, gene- ral, and special. § 1. Preliminary Preparation is of two Kinds, Moral and Educational. 1. Moral preparation, which can hardly be insisted on too urgently or too frequently, includes the follow- ing essentials : 1.) A genuine conversion. 2.) An established religious life. 3.) A j)ersonal call of the Holy Ghost recognized by the Church. These are important preliminaries, but prelimina- ries only. God performs his work, but leaves man to do his own. It may be regarded as an invariable rule that God never calls men to the ministry who have not talent sufficient for the discharge of its duties. But the duty of cultivating that talent is left with themselves. Neglect or misappropriation of their talents may neutralize their call and render them unfit for the work. 342 PRELIMINARY PREPARATION. 2. Educational preparation. Whatever of general education may have been previously secured should now be consecrated to the special service of the divine Master, and all practicable efforts for attaining more should be resolved upon in the strength of grace. Thenceforth life and all its energies should be regard- ed as subject to the one controlling purpose of pre- paring in the most effectual manner to be a herald of God's truth. It should be accepted as a primary principle that the minister of the Gospel must surpass in educational acquirements the community to which he may be called to minister, and this in an enlight- ened age and country implies no limited range of study. Education, in the broad sense demanded by the ministers of the present day, should embrace : 1.) An ample course of mental discipline prepara- tory to the successful investigation of truth. 2.) Large stores of knowledge in the departments of science, history, language, and theology.* 3.) A special development of the powers of expres- sion, both by aid of the pen and by habits of free and correct utterance. It is only necessary here to dwell upon the latter, which has been extensively and injuriously ignored and displaced from its proper position. As a result of this error thousands of ministers, when they have thought themselves ready to become public teachers, * Often in his days of most successful preaching, when next to his own soul his parish and his flock were his only care, he has heen known to express a regret that he had not laid up in former days more stores of all useful knowledge ; for he found himself ahle to use the jewels of the Egyptians in the service of Christ. His previous studies would sometimes flash into his mind some happy illustration of divine truth at the very moment when he was most solemnly applying the Gospel.— Mgnwir of M''Cheyne. MODES OF LEARNING TO SPEAK. 343 have, in fact, had "need that some one teach them again which be the first principles" of public speak- ing. Radically erroneous are those systems of in- Btruction which postpone efforts in actual speaking till the close of a course of professional study, and then teach the young preacher to confine himself to his manuscript until he gradually acquires confidence to speak extemporaneously. Youth is na- Power of ex- , . ^ . Ill presBion to be ture s time lor learnmg to speak, w^hether acquired eariy. in private or in public ; and any preacher who does not cultivate freedom of utterance, in fact who does not acquire a mastery of spoken language in early life, will strive in vain for it in later years. That ac- quired, the speaker has at once the basis and the opportunity for attaining the higher graces of oratory, and for advancing from strength to strength until he becomes a powerful preacher of the word. As these views may be questioned by some, it may be well to show how strongly they are supported by the advice and practice of the great masters in ora- tory. It is said of that powerful speaker, Mr. Pitt, of England, that no man carried to a higher degree of perfection the talent of using the right word in the right place. Having been asked, By what means — by what course of study — he had acquired that admirable readiness of speech, that aptness of finding the right word, Mr. Pitt replied, that wliatever readiness he might be thought to possess in that respect, he believed he derived very much from a practice his father, the great Lord Chatham, had enjoined on him. Lord Chatham had bid him take up any book in some foreign language with which he was well acquainted — in Latin, Greek, or French, for example. Lord Chatham then enjoined him to read out of this work a passage in English, stop- ping, where he was not sure of the word, until the right one came, and then proceed. Mr. Pitt states that he had assiduously followed this practice. At first he had often to stop for a while 34:4: POWER OF SPEECH ACQUIRED BY SPEAEING. before he could find the proper word ; but he found the difficul ties gradually disappear, until what was a toil to him at first be fame at last an easy and familiar task. ;Not dissimilar to tlie above is the advice of Lord Brougliam, written to tlie father of Macaiilay, the his- torian, for the benefit of his son : The first point is this: the beginning of the art is to acquire a habit of easy speaking ; and in whatever way this can be had (which individual inclination or accident will generally direct, and may safely be allowed to do) it must be had. 'Now I differ from all other doctors of rhetoric in this : I say, let him first of all learn to speak easily and fluently, as well and as sensibly as he can, no doubt, but at any rate let him learn to speak. This is to eloquence or good public speaking what the being able to talk, in a child, is to correct grammatical speech. It is the requi- site foundation, and on it you must build. Moreover, it can only be acquired young ; therefore let it by all means, and at any sac- rifice, be gotten hold of forthwith. Henry Clay, the celebrated orator of the American Senate, near the close of his public career stated that his attainments in the use of spoken language were attributable to no ordinary cost in the way of labor and painstaking ; that from an early period of his life he had been accustomed to the exercise of declaiming when alone on questions selected for the occasion; that he sometimes addressed the stock on his farm, at other times a tree in the forest. He urgently recom- mended similar efforts to young men desiring to qual ify themselves for public speaking. Bautain reiterates this doctrine, as a few expres- sions taken from his pages will show. He says : If you want orators you must teach them how to speak. . , . To know how to speak, you must first know how to think and also to write. POWER OF SPEECH ACQUIllED BY SPEAKING. 3i5 He urges long and repeated praxis in both as a branch of preliminary education: There is but one time for acquirement, the time of youth. . . . In youth all the faculties are wondrously adapted to receive and retain. Fit fabricando faher^ says the adage; and it is the same with the journeyman of words and forger of eloquence. The iron must be often beaten, especially while it is hot, to give it shape; so we must continually hammer language to become masters of it and to foshion it if we would become capable of speaking in public. It is not enough to learn the rules of style, the tropes and figures of rhetoric ; the use and proper application of them must be known; and this cannot be learned except by much speaking and much writing under the direction of an able mas- ter, who knows how to write and speak himself; for in this both precept and example are necessary, and example is better than precept. The reader will now perceive the absurdity of the idea that he is to become a speaker as an ultimate result of reading written discourses. Apart from the danger of fixing upon himself the habit of dependence U23on a manuscript, and of fearing to face an audience, which that theory entails, there results from it an in- evitable loss of the best opportunity life affords for acquiring a mastery of spoken language. Whenever, therefore, a young man adopts the con- viction of duty to preach the Gospel, whatever may have been his previous advantages or lack of advant- ages, he must devote himself with iron will to the task of learning and perfecting the art of speaking ; tliat is, of uttering thoughts in his own words. This task is not to be isolated from general education, but to be constantly blended with it, and to make prog- ress in proportion to all mental acquisitions. Tho ♦ A man becomes a workman by working. Ergo^ a speaker by ■Tieakinif 346 EXERTION A NECESSITY. Order of prog- '^^^^^ slioulcl be, Jlf'st. sZcquirs reacUuess of ""*"** speech; second^ corr^dness ; tJdrd^ force. If tlie student or preacher at first be too fastidious, unwilling, or afraid to speak until every word is pre- composed and every sentence pruned, he becomes a candidate for life-long hesitation and slowness of speech. It is better a thousandfold to acquire flu- ency at the expense of blunders and solecisms than to have one's speech drag and limp through fear of committing mistakes. But when fluency is acquired, or being rapidly acquired by free and early efforts, then is the time for attention to correctness; and when fluency and correctness are well combined the cultivation of beauty and strength of style appropri-' ately follows. Let the tree be fairly started to grow before it is too severely pruned. But when making a substantial growth leave it not to the wildness of nature ; lop its useless branches, shorten in its excres- cent shoots, and guide the nourishment of its roots where form is well developed and strength is wanted. The idea that a talent for speaking is natural and not acquired has operated very unfavorably to the culti- vation of eloquence. Many teachers and students, even at this day, seem insensible of the importance of systematic exertions to develop and improve their natural gifts for oratory. A common illusion on the part of hearers respect- ing the most perfect speaking, is to suppose that with little effort they might accomplish the same or eveia. greater things. The work of the true orator is done BO easily, so gracefully, and so naturally that the sup- position of laborious antecedent preparation seems almost impossible. In this very mistake, and the practical neglect which follows it, we may discover the reasons why MOTIVES TO EFFORT. 347 many who would become orators fail. Some on making the effort to speak in public become so con- Rcious of failure that they yield to premature discour- agement. Others are so readily satisfied with their own imperfect efforts, and so prompt to imagine them- Belves either possessed of the genius of oratory or of the acquired ability that they deem further special exertions unnecessary, and consequently lapse into the mediocrity usually coupled with moderate exer- tions. Let it not be thouo-ht strano-e that well-directed and persistent efforts are necessary to the acquirement of readiness, elegance, and force in extemporaneous speech. Such an acquirement is not to be gained oj idle wishes or faint endeavors. The modes of failure are numerous, the path to success is long and often difiicult. But it is rendered attractive by the fame of those who have traversed it. Few, if any, of the great orators of the past have attained the goal of success without diligent and self-denying elementary efforts ; and let it never be said that any one called of God to preach the Gospel is unable or unwilling to put forth equal exertions to attain proficiency in effective speaking. § 2. General Preparation" should be Continu- ous AND Habitual. General preparation differs from preliminary in breadth of extent and length of continuance. We must always be learners, but we must not put off the duty of teaching till everything is learned. The truth is, that we never learn so fast as when endeavoring to teach. We then see more clearly the object of learn- ing, and are stimulated to more powerful efforts. Hence, so far from considering his education com- 34^ GENERAL TRErARATION. pleted, even by the fullest course of institutional training, tlie minister sliould regard his entrance upon public life as the commencement of an en- larged career of study for a special object. If he has profited rightly by institutional advantages, he has now mastered the elements of general learning. The whole field of knowledge lies mapped out before him, and he is qualified to enter where he may choose and cull its treasures for immediate or future use. Be- sides, as the boundaries of that field are ever extend- ing, he needs to follow them, and acquaint himself with the new territory which they embrace. The man who ceases to learn when he commences to preach will soon be like an unsupplied fountain, incapable of sending forth fresh and sparkling waters. The experience of the best orators and preachers the world has known indicates the necessity of con- stant progress in general knowledge. The circum- stances of different individuals may prescribe diff'er- ent means of attaining it. One of the most obvious and feasible is a systematic course of solid reading. Another is to maintain an active practice in mental gymnastics by mathematical or philosophical study. It is well, if possible, by a rigid distribution of time to accomplish both, and then also to derive similar results from intercourse with society and from wisely- planned habits of special preparation to preach, re- quiring a continual enlargement of doctrinal and exegetical study. § 3. Special Preparation requires THE STUDY OF SUBJECTS FOR PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. Special preparation is demanded for each sermon, each occasion of public ministry. The time for such SPECIAL STUDY. 349 pvi paration may sometimes be very brief and tbo means inadequate ; still it should be made, if only in the silent chambers of tliought. Embarrassments from this cause will diminish in proportion to the thoroughness of one's previous preliminary and gen- eral preparation. In fact, general and special j^rep- aration perpetually demand and involve order and re- each other. To use a warlike illustration, ^^^o^- general preparation fills the magazine, or stores the arsenal with powder, ball, and shell ; special prepara- tion manipulates the cartridge and charges the ord- nance, whether with solid or explosive shot, or grape and canister. Whenever, too, for special objects, the shot require to be heated, that is the work of spe- cial preparation. While early years are the proper period for general preparation, yet at no period of life should it be neglected. "Never too old to learn," is a motto as useful to the preacher as any other man. I^one, however, in advanced life will learn so fast as those who have been diligent students in their youth. Correspondingly, in reference to special preparation, it is absolutely essential in the earlier years of one's ministry ; and in the more ad- vanced periods, when possible, it is by no means to be omitted. THE CAREFUL ELABORATION OF A PLAN OF DISCOURSE. Habits of preparation for preaching should be judi- ciously planned and fully established. Serious mis- takes have been made at this point. Many have assumed that writing a sermon was equivalent to preparing to preach, whereas it is quite possible to write sermons without being duly prepared either to preach or to write. 850 SPECIAL STUDY. Most meager and defective is that tlieory of prep- Here writing aratioii wliicli enjc'ris simply the selection insufflcient. ^f ^ ^g^t and then writing upon it. No employment of the mind is more unphilosophical or more profitless than that of word-building or word- spinning without a previous acquisition and arrange- ment of thouglit. And yet the greater portion of some men's lives is spent in this employment. They write in private and read in public, and imagine that because they write their sermons are better, more profound indeed than if, as to language, they were extemporized. Every one ought to understand that if choice must be made between extemporaneous writing and extemporaneous speaking the latter has decided grounds of advantage, since the presence of an audience prompts a greater activity and power of thought that can usually be controlled in the vacancy of one's private room. Writing itself is simply the act of extemporizing on paper. In order to accomplish it with any effect the writer must imagine an audience present or future, and the sole advantage to compensate for this defect is the opportunity it gives for revision, enlarge- ment, retrenchment, and repetition in the best possi- ble form. But this advantage is very great, sufficient indeed to make writing an essential agency of prep- aration for every style of preaching. Nevertheless, a correct mode of writing will always enjoin a previous study of the subject, resulting in a logi-^al plan. To either write or speak without a plan is to WTite or speak at random. Occasionally the mark may be hit, but usually the thoughts will straggle and words will lead astray fiom tha merits of the case. Hence special prepaiation, alike for writing a sermon and for preachii g extemporan^ THE PLAN. 351 ously, demands a plan as an essential prerequisite. But the proper construction of a plan demands inven- tion, and disposition in all the penetrating and dis- cursive power of the former and in all the detailed comprehensiveness of the latter. Here, then, at the threshold is the great private task of the preacher. It is to study and master his subject. Agglomerating words, either bj means of the pen or the tongue and calling them a sermon, is a libel on the name, and an insult to a Christian audience. Professor Park has well said "the elo- quence of the pulpit is the eloquence of thought;" and Baxter has with equal significance said, " I never thought that I understood anything till I could anatomize it and see the parts distinctly, and the union of the parts as they make up the whole." These remarks jointly illustrate the nature of special preparation. Its object is to enlist the whole energy of tlie mind, not only in analyzing the subject chosen, but in creating from its elements and applications a new organic whole. It is well in the outset to let the mind grapple un- aided with the subject and its difficulties, interpretation so as to strike out a new, at least an and invention, original track of thought. Until this is made sure of it is unsafe to go for help beyond the study of the Scriptures. The primary effort must be to learn for one's self exactly what God would teach through his holy word. To this end the text, the context, and related passages may be thoroughly studied in the original and translations. There is danger in con- sulting commentators and authors too soon lest the mind unconsciously fall into the beaten paths of other men and be unable to emerge into a true originality. But when an original and satisfactory plan is 352 TIME REQUIRED. eketclied, all appropriate helps may be employed m its elaboration. The period of the plan, moreover, is that in which external helps should be consulted, rather than during any stage of composition. 'No one should commence composition while un* der the necessity of interrupting his own trains of thought in order to consult authors and read up on collateral topics. Nothing more effectually breaks up essential unity of design and execution. The mind is like the fabled chameleon. It takes a hue from the last object it touches, and hence may tinge unconsciously, but erroneously, its own creations. Ordinarily time is an important element of success in the meditative stages of preparation. Bautain has not inaptly likened this meditative process to in- cubation, by which the idea is made to pass from one stage of life to another, until at length, " sufficiently mature to be trusted to the light of day, it will spon taneously strive to break from confinement and to issue forth to view—^then comes the moment for writing." The same author says : In general one must not be in a hurry to form his plan. In nature, life always needs a definite time for self-organization ; and it is only ephemeral beings which are quickly formed, and they quickly pass away. Everything destined to be durable ia of slow growth, and both the solidity and the strength of exist- ing things bear a direct ratio to the length of their 11 crease and the matureness of their production. Since time is usually necessary for the successful elaboration of the preacher's plan he should begin in season. But it is not necessary to keep the mind in constant contact with the theme. Intervals of rest are refreshing. Besides, they enable one to approach his subject from differ- ent directions, and to assimilate to a harmonious TIIOUGIlT-riiJa'ARA'riON. o5t^ whole tlie divergent views wliicli may at different limes and from different points flash upon his mind. Dr. Skinner lias with great truthfnhiess sketched the practical difficulties which liave sometimes to l)e overcome in this stage of preparation : AYitli (.lifferent preaelicrs, aiul with the same preaclier at (]'](- ferent thiics, there is G:reat ditlerenee as to speed and ra[)idity in tlie preparation of the matter. Sometimes it is accomi)Iisl;ed with a celerity ahnost equal to that of lightning. But generally its movement is a contrast to this electrical swiftness; often it is the extreme opposite. The first view of the suhject is ■com- monly confused, chaotic, without the slightest perception of method or order; a process of intellectual gestation ensues, including deep, intense, protracted thinking; struggles with ob- scurity and confusion; with objections, with half-truths and indecisive arguments, with erroneous or false prejudgments, with bad or imperfect disposition, with disproportion, disunity, dis liarmony, complication in oi'ganizing the material. Such, lb' the most part, is the toil of preparation, the condition of thor- oughness and success in the work. When this is finished the preacher by examining it may anticipate the estimation of his pulpit performance. ]f he would therefore be sure of preaching well, he should be sure of doing Avell in the work of preparation. He ought to revise and scrutinize exactly what ho has done, whether it wa*^ by tlie rapid or the slower movement. His swift preparatit)ns, especially, should be subjected to criticism. They may be less pleasing to him if he return to them after a day or an hour or two. Perhaps their rapidity was from want of breadth, or depth, or gravity of thought. But his most elaborate schemes may be susce[>tible of substantial improvement. After the sever- est labor, the best plan sometimes remains to be discovered, Eantain compares the speaker's preparation to the work of the bee in gathering sweets from flowers, first nourishing itself with its extracts, then digest- ing and transmuting them into honey. So should the speaker carefully digest wdiatever thoughts he may cidl from the fields of literature in order that 23 851 DETAILED COMPOSiTIOX IN WEITING. there inaj be a real transformation, and an orat(»ricaI prodnction fraught with life. Another lignre will Illustrate the same idea. We may lawfully .ise tlie gold and silver wliich other men have quarried, but we should pass them through the furnace of th.o brain and bring tliem out anew, either in molten and glowing streams or stamped with a fresh coinage. DETAILED COMPOSITION IX WKITIXG. So far thought-preparation alone has been contem- plated. If words have been used they have been the fewest possible, mere wheels and fastenings of thought. There has been a calm confidence that when the moment for expression came there would be no lack of words ; indeed, that the act of expression would call out words more pertinent than could be called up in advance. Such processes as these prepare, according to Bautain, a sort of oratorical form or mould into which the diction or v\^ord-composition may be cast by a single elFort. The whole subject may now be summed up briefly. Special preparation to preach consists in securing a mental mastery of the subject in conformity with a perfected plan of address. AYhere these conditions coexist with a perfect command of language and a nij-ht state of reli^'ious feelino^ nothing; more is to be desired. But these conditions cannot be pronounced easy of attainment. Indeed, who can say that he hae mastered any of the great subjects of divine revela- tion, or absolutely perfected a plan of discourse 2 The ]Treacher will reach nearest those points who conceives most worthily of the greatness of the task, and who strives most earnestly to reach the goal of perfection. To this end, sketching and rewriting the ])lan will largely conduce. AVhen that is done, and not before. ADVANTAGES OF WRITING. 355 wi'iting tlie sermon comes in as an additional and imjiortant auxiliary of preparation. At this stage the act of writing contributes more than anything else to +he great objects in view. It tends to com- plete a mastery of the subject, to perfect the plan, to insure a command of language, and, if riglitly per- formed, to increase the religious fervor of the preacher. It is in fact only by this protracted labor, at least in reference to manj^ subjects, tliat the preacher can secure in a sufficient degree the essential conditions of preparation. ADVANTAGES OF WRITING. The pen, though a simple instrument, possesses magic power. From the remotest ages its ready use has been regarded a high accomplishment.^ Amid the changes of time and of society the pen has undergone fewer modifications than most instruments employed by men. The student of the nineteenth century, like the prophet of the earliest ages, has to wield the pen with his own right hand. The press has rendered unnecessary the toil of the copyist ; but writing, as an act of composition, can only be per- formed by personal labor and fixed attention. From this necessity the chief advantages of writing will ever spring. Of these a few may be enumerated : 1. Writing is a means of self-discipline and an aid to thought. Cicero understood this when he pro- nounced the pen "the best teacher of eloquence;-' and Bacon also when he said, " writing makes an exact man." To both these ends the preacher should school himself with earnest effort, not merely to prune and polish his style, but to acquire power and Accuracy of thought. * See Judges v, Id ; Fsa. xlv, 1. 356 ADVANTAGES OF ^VRITING. By means of writing the thinker may draw tlio portrait of his own mind, may take the gange of his own mental powers, and may map ont his track tlirongh the iiekls of the invisible, lie who pretends to think mnch bnt does not write is a ^\anderer, not knowino; whither he c^oeth. His movements are usually fitful and unguided, or else languid and feeble. He essays to rise, but having nothing on which to rest for self-support, he sinks as often as he rises. Whereas a thought penned becomes a sure stepping-place to thoughts beyond. JS^o man is safe in supposing that he fully understands any subject until he is capable of writing intelligently upon it. Reading and study accumulate materials for dis- course. Thought enables us to make them our own, and composition reduces them to a homogeneous form and incorporates them with our own mental creations. The pen is a powerful auxiliary in this work, enabling us to see what we do and to hold fast whereunto we have attained. 2. The practice of writing is specially important to an extemporaneous preacher. It secures to him both copiousness and reticence. It increases his vocabulary and teaches him what words to omit. Speakers who do not write almost invariably con- tract looseness and redundancy of style ; whereas writing portrays before their eyes various faults, which when seen may be corrected. Besides, where one does not require of himself the habitual use of tL^e pen, there is great danger that full and suitable preparation for preaching will be neglected. An oc- casional success in preaching without previous prep- aration, in circumstances, perhaps, when the use of the pen was impracticable, is no arguniont agamst its diligent use w]\en it is practicable. Those who have PEKPETUATION OF INFLUENCE. 357 most tliorouglily accustomed themselves to laborloua preparation in ordinary cases will be best prepared for emergencies when they occur. Indeed, the great- ness of the work, the overwhelmingly important interests it contemplates, its divine appointment, nnd e\"erything connected with the character and ob- jects of the sermon, demand for it the most thorough and habitual preparation which can be made. 3. Writing secures to the preacher the means of profiting by his past labors. It is, in fact, the only means of preserving to him his own mental products. In preaching he will need from time to time to avail himself of all the accumulations of his mental activ ity and labor in former days in order to give the high- est efficiency to his own present efforts. While no preacher should content himself with old prsparations merely, every one will find j^st provision fot frequent occasions to use the result of his *^® future, pa'it studies if they have been diligent and successful. No one but a mental imbecile will content himself to be reading all his life the old, stale, and feeble prepa- rations of his youth. On the other hand, he who does not habituate himself to thorough preparation in his early ministry will never rise to the full stature of a messenger of God. But by a judicious use of past preparations, whether of plans or of full written ser- mons, modeling them to meet occasions that arise, and improving upon them by renewed efforts, a preacher may go on attaining an ever-increasing pow- er in the pulpit. Xor is it to be forgotten, in early and middle life, that feebleness and old age may in time be the lot of the preacher. Hence it is wise to make preparations that may avail in those extremities when mental power declines and memory becomes feeble. 358 WROXG HABITS OF WEITIXG. 4. The right use of tlie pen in sermonizing will often extend tlie influence of the preacher, beyond the narrow walls of the church in which he preaches, to an uidiniited field of infiuence through the pi ess. Every minister ought to be compel oat, and to expect to have occasion, to prepare sermons for publication. Every one ought to labor in hope to leave behind him sermons or other written productions which will tell upon the destinies of the world when he has passed away. And it may often occur in the future as in the past, that matter well elaborated for the pulpit is already practically prepared for the press. The con- tents of some of the most valuable books in our lan- guage were first preached, then printed with suitable changes as to form. WKOXG HABITS OF WRITING. The advantages of writing are sometimes greatly curtailed, if not neutralized, by wrong habits. 1. One of these has been already censured, that of writing without previous thought and plan. 2. Another is that of arranging patchwork, grouj)- ing together scraps and extracts from other authors, or even from one's own previous compositions, with- out the process of recasting and assimilation. In au- thorship verbal quotations are often necessary. In preaching rarely. 3. Writing as a word-exercise, in which the pro- duction of fine sentences becomes a leading object. 4. Writing carelessly, and omitting to revise, cor- rect, and copy. RULES TO AID IN FORMING CORRECT HABITS. 1. Take time for preliminary study and thought. Ply diligently the lules for invention and disposition. tVHlTE TO SrEAK. 359 2. When ready, write rapidly and as continnously as possible. 3. Let your wliole sonl enter into the snbject, and while yon aim at correctness, leave the finishing pro cess to the period of review. 4. Write as nearly as possible in the style of ex- temporaneous speaking. Dr. Skinner's remarks on this point are excellent : In its ideal, preacliing is extemporaneous as to its language; the extemporaneous sermon, therefore, abstracting its faults, la the model, as to style and diction, of one which is to be written; it gives command in the verbal constitiction of tlic sermon. The pen, in composition, should as much as possible do the very of- fice of the tongue in its unpremeditated utterances. It should intend the words it writes, not for the eye but the ear. The preacher should imagine the assembly he is to address present with him where he is writing, and make his silent sentences and words as a tongue or a living voice, Avherewith he speaks to it. He must write in a style analogous, not to a miniature, but to the bold representations of scene-painting. lie has lost the idea of preaching if he thinks it realizable in a composition suited pe- culiarly to the press. The composition of a sermon should, if possible, be made perfect in its kind; but its kind is its own, and unchangeable. The style of the sermon, like its matter and its purpose, is individual and unique. When it was once said in compliment to a sermon, '' It would read well in print," a judge of preaching replied, " Then it must have been a very poor ser- mon." Xevertheless, when readers have learned to appreciate directness of address, and to imagine them- selves under the sound of the preacher's voice, sermons properly written will read well, though not as essays. 5. Writing, as a means of pulpit preparation, like preaching itself, should be preceded by prayer, and couducteil under the direct influence and aid of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Skinner again says: 360 EEVISIOIT. There is special danger of being iinspiritual in tins part of the labor; tlie danger of tlie undue pursuit Oi ornament; of ambi- tious oratory ; of going into a searcli for the enticing words of man's wisdom ; of depending too much on the sermons or pkins of others; of being too speculative and abstruse, or, on the oth- er hand, vulgar and commonphice; of being only half or almost true; in a word, of ignoring the Spirit's part in preaching, and, consequently, of abating the necessity and exercise of prayer. In writing, much more than in the preliminary labor, and than ia extemporizing, the mind busies itself about the externalities, the outward investments of the matter. The expressicMi of a written no less than a spoken sermon ought to be spiritual, but. where it is the chief object of attention there is special danger that it will not be; it will be from spirituality in the writer of the ser- mon if the structure and tissue of it be not unspiritual, in wis- dom of words, rather than in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 6. The best written productions should be carefully revised, and, if possible, copied with the last improve- ments. Second or repeated writing is often more advantageous than the first. Xo one becomes fullj conscious of the defects of liis own productions until he has repeatedly revised and reconstructed them; and it should be received as a maxim that it is far better to write a few sermons well, indeed as per- fectly as possible, than to scribble voluminously and perfect nothing. 7. In the second and subsequent writing, write plainly in a large and bold hand, with ample spaces for enlargement in future revisions. 8. However perfect]}'' a sermon may have been written, always revise it before preaching, and en- deavor to recall, not only the emotions which accom- panied the original con}position, but, if possible, to improve it both in .letter and in spirit. 9. Never let the rereading of a fully written sermon be the last act preparatory to preaching extempora- DR. OLIN'S CAUTIONS 3G1 neonsly. It is far better to prepare a new abstract, and to contemplate the sermon in its plan, not in its verlnage, lest the written words become an embarrass- ment to the freedom of tlious^ht. In the repetition of sermons every effort mnst bo made to recover the original interest of preparation, and, if possible, increase it. Failing to succeed in this, it is far better to throw all previous preparations away and begin anew. Dr. Olin has described, with startling emphasis,- both the danger and the sin of ministers arising from neglect of this principle : "When tlieir stock of sermons or plans lias accumulated, so far as to answer current demands upon it, tliey make no more, and cease to be students. There is an end to all improvement, and tliey stagi^er on to premature mental decrepitude under the bur den of these same four or five hundred stale, antiquated sermons. In not a few instances tlie victims of tliis stupendous offense against the human understanding, and the claims of God upon his ministers, reach their climacteric at thirty years of age, after which they neither study nor think, unless we are to dignify as intellectual efforts the half hour devoted from week to week to conning over the well-remembered, venerable manuscript. Eveiy one in the least acquainted with the powers and the laws of the mind is able to comprehend the stupendous folly of these men. The human intellect gains expansion and vigor and acuteness by activity. It must tcork, or dwindle and starve. It must TiiixK — think habitually, earnestly, consecutively — or it will ere long lose its power of thinking. The perusal and reperusal of yellow manuscripts is not study. The recollection and repe- tition of old sermons is not tldnhing. The mind must do sorae- thii.g, must invent sometliing fresh, must work and wrestle with now 1 roblems and deep propositions, in order to give hardness and ligor to its own sinews. The hand that wields the hammer or plies the graving tool constantly gains strength and skill; but, suspended in a sling, it will not be long in forgetting its cunning. The Hindoo devotee, who has been stationary ever since he learned to stand on one foot, has also lost the power of ]oco- aaotiou. 362 DR. OLIX'S CAUTIONS. Our objection is not to the quality of the old sermons. They may be very good, and theoretically very well adapted to the existing wants of the hearer. It is possible they are even better than the preacher may now be able to produce. All this may very likely be true, and yet they may be useless to the people and discreditable to the i)reacher ; while very inferior discourses, fresh from the mint of the soul, and blazing with the fervoi's of an excited, laboring mind, will awaken profound emotion in the hearer's as well as tlie preacher's heart. Old sermons are preached with good etfect by men who are still in the habit of making new ones, and who keep their intellects thoroughly awake by study and invention. They then receive a new en- dowment of life and power, a new assimilation to the pious Sj)irit, by passing through such an intense resuscitating medium. AVithout this fresh, vivifying bai)tism these repetitions are, irre- sj)ective of their intrinsic quality, the stalest and most unsavory of human performances. They remind us of the desiccated preparations of the botanist, which are quite bereft of all their fragrance and grace and charming colors, though one might not be prepared to deny that they still retain a measure of latent medicinal virtue. It may be laid down as a first principle, that he cannot long continue a useful, nor even a popular preacher, who has ceased to be a student. He must himself gradually lose all relish for the dry, irksome work of memory and repetition to which he dooms himself. However habit or temperament may enal le him to preach with apparent warmth and vivacity, his announcements of truth do, in fixct, no longer bear the sanc- tion and indorsement of his own deep, living convictions; for neither reason, nor conscience, nor faith is much concerned in the' reproduction. If this sort of Avork is distasteful to the preacher, it soon becomes loathsome to the hearer, with whom all such (.exhibitions pass for mere routine or declamation, No minister can maintain a respectable position, and satisfy the wants of an intelligent congregation, who is not a diligent student. N » matter if he has a cart-load of prepared sermons, and they us good as ever Paul preached; lie must bring out "things new" as well as old if he would make his ministrations either profitable or accei)table to the people. At least half of the sermons called for by the exigencies of ministerial labor should be produced by current efforts. To say nijthing of doing good to others, the study and preparation of one sermon a week is no more than ia THE rilOrER USE OF ILANS. 303 reqmsite for the best nurture of mental and moral life. The greatest boon tliat could befall many preachers would be the conflnjiration of their old store of manuscripts. Anything that should induce or compel them to return to studious habits were better than the mental inactivity whicli dooms so many good men to actual inefficiency and superatmuation, at a time of life 'when experience and hoarded wisdom should qualify them for the most extended usefulness, and the most salutary, effective popularity. THE PEOPEK USE OF PLAXS. So miicli lias been said in tliis and otlier chapters on the preparation of j)lans of sermons, that the ques- tion of their specific use deserves now to be consid- ered. Are they to be taken into the pulpit as mnemon- ic guides ? As a general rule this question is to be answered emphatically in the negative. The plan as recommended in this work is designed to aid the mind in the mastery and grasp of the subject. For that purpose nothing is more serviceable than the act of writing, perfecting, and committing a well-digested plan. In this task ideas are the desideratum; not words, except as brief signs of ideas. Careful practice in this matter will give a preacher great facility in the kind of preparation so much need- ed for independent public speaking. It will enable him to hold his subject and all its details in a clear, mental perspective, and to be perfectly independent of what Bautain calls those " wretched notes," a very look at which sometimes chills the current of the warmest eloquence. It is bettei-, then, to begin right by forming tlie habit of perfectly memorizing the plan and relying upon memory. The memory loves to be trusted, and gains strength in proportion to the confidence reposed in it. The use of a written plan in the pulpit invariably indicates imperfect prepara- 3G4: PKEPARATxOX TO READ. tion or tiiiiiditj. There may be cases in wliicli foi eitlier cause it should be allowed exceptionally. Nev- ertheless, the aim of the preacher should be to attain Ihe highest excellence with the fewest possible em- barrassments. If any can succeed best in marshaling their thoughts without employing the pen at all, let them lay it aside till after preaching, when it is well to make a record of what has been thought and said in the pulpit. Plans and written sermons, therefore, should become mnemonics for future pre23aration, rather than for pulpit delivery. SPECIAL PREPARATIOX FOK READIXG OR RECITIXG. So far as the suggestions of this chapter relate par- ticularly to preparation for extemporaneous preach- ing, it is believed that they equally provide for the other styles of delivery. Where either reading or reciting is to be practiced, there exists a necessity for writing in full which is not known in the other case. Time must consequently be taken to put every word in its proper place, and to make the diction as perfect as possible. In the case of reading many have sup- posed that this was all the preparation needed, read ing being a very ordinary accomplishment. Where this view is entertained it is usually performed in a very ordinary manner. Whoever adopts reading as a mode of delivery should feel bound to make special elocutionary prep- aration to perform it well, to read as freely and effect ively as possible. It is said that the pious Mr. Simeon of Cambridge " spent more time toward the close of his life in pre- paring to read his sermous with effect than most men bestow on the preparation of the sermon itself." In this respect he did equal honor to himself and his rU EPAKATION TO READ. 3G5 aiicUcnccs, and indicated to all readers of sermons their obvious duty. Whitefield, also, as a reciter of sermons, is known to liave made laborious prepara- tion to secure an impressive delivery, and tlms to have become an authoritative example for all who follow him in that style of preaching. In both these styles of delivery the elocutionary preparation must be special. In extemporaneous address it can only be general. In every case a deep spiritual preparation is of in- dispensable importance as a means of surcharging the heart with emotion, and the mind and the tongue with power. Continuous meditation, affecting views of truth, and much prayer for the influence of the Holy Spirit, are the true elements of this crowning grace of a full preparation to dispense the word of life. 3GG PECULIAR rOSITIOX OF A YOUXG FASTOR. CHAPTER XVL PREACHING AS A PASTOPvAL DUTY The pastorate, in a historic point of view, may be regarded as the ultimate position of the minister. If he were alone as a promulgator of the Gospel he would need to go forth and preach wherever he could find hearers, and it would only be when he had planted a Church or Churches that he could in any proper sense become a pastor. But in Chris- tian countries the case is reversed, and young minis- ters are often, if not usually, employed as pastors oi assistant pastors from the first. They consequently need to have in advance some just idea of pastoral duty and responsibility. PECULIAR POSITIOX OF A YOUXG PASTOR. The position of a young minister, entering as a stranger upon the duties of a preacher and pastor in any charge, is necessarily delicate, if not embar- rassing. He will consequently have need of great circumspection with reference to' himself, and of anxious solicitude in behalf of the flock to whom he is sent to minister. . Without entering upon details, a few suggestions will be made as to his mode of procedure. His first Bermons must of necessity be more or less general in their character. The question as to whether he should preach a sermon specially introductory to his intended labors must be decided by his best judg- ment of the circumstances. As a general rule noth OBJECTS OF THP] PASTOR. 3G7 :ng can be more appropriate, for tlie reason that the people are expecting and are entitled to hear at an early day a minister's views respecting the import- ance and natnre of his work, and that it is often bettor to dechire his views on such topics in advance of acquaintance with local circumstances. Never- theless, it may sometimes be best to waive the for- mality of an introductory sermon, and to proceed as if it were unnecessary. Following either course, he must at the earliest moment acquaint himself with the moral and spiritual condition of his people, and address himself skillfully to its improvement. It is well to draw attention as soon as practicable to those duties which are of obvious necessity for the general good, such as that of attendance on the means of grace and of exertions in behalf of Sabbath-schools ; but it is better to defer radical chano-es till influence and authority are acquired. It should be a rule with young pastors to make few or no changes in the estab- lished order of things for the mere sake of change ; but if changes are absolutely necessary, let them be made with discretion. In all cases censoriousness upon predecessors should be scrupulously avoided. When the preacher has entered properly upon his work two great objects rise up before him: the edification of the Church and the conversion of the nn regenerate. For these objects he should at the ear- liest moment make intelligent and far-seeing plans. § 1. The Edification of the Church. I. The edification of the Church involves that of the individual believer, and of the Church as a whole The great element of power here is the word of God It must be presented to the people historically, doc trinally, specially, and consecutively. In all these 3G8 THE EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH. respects it has exliaustless variety and peculiar instruct isiements of i^^Guess. It Lccomes the preacher to enter power. experimentallv into its deepest meaning, and to set himself with active zeal to bring forth things new and old for the insti'uction, the encouragement, and the godly admonition of every class of Chris- tians in their various phases and stages of experience. This important work can never be so well done as in its appropriate connection with the demands which God makes upon his Church to be the light of the world. Great evils follow in the train of those views of the Christian life which countenance the j)nrsuit of ease and enjoyment, instead of active and aggressive plans for the diffusion of truth and the overthrow of error. It therefore becomes all pastors of Christ to be leaders of his sacramental host, and to infuse into the breast of every member, both by precept and example, a holy enthusiasm to do God's work at home and abroad. When a minister becomes fully aroused to his sub- lime responsibilities as the leader and guide of God's chosen people, themes rush upon his mind with a newness and force of which he before but faintly conceived. Instead of being straitened for subjects and the material of preaching he finds his heart " full of matter," and burning with desire to deliver tJie glorious messages of salvation. In this frame of mind pastoral visitation becomes to him an agency of good only second to that of the pulpit itself. Like the holy apostles, he will not only preach Jesus Christ in the temple, but in every house ; and in his daily inter- course with the people of his charge will learn their Bpeclal wants, and the means of providing for them with directness and certainty MODES OF EFFORT. 3G9 Pastoral visitation is as direct a necessity to the preacher as to the people themselves. Without it he not only hicks the spiritual benefits flowing from the faithful discharge of duty, but he must ever select liis subjects at a disadvantage, and treat them with a vagueness, at least an uncertainty, as to their special adaptation by no means friendly to the efficiency of his ministrations. Let it not be objected that an itinerant ministry is unfavorable to pastoral acquaintance, and ~, Invalid excuse. that consequently it affords but little encouragement to this class of duties. The man who will not in two years, or even in one, gain an ade- quate, not to say perfect acquaintance with his flock never will. Promptness and diligence in pastoral visitations will accomplish more in a short time than the opposite qualities in the longest period, and these are the qualities essential to success during any term of ministerial service. They should be brought into requisition from the beginning, and they will 80on make the minister at home in all the homes of Lis congregation. § 2. The Conversion of Souls. But at no period of his pastoral service should the pastor be indifferent to the conversion of the unre- generate. In order to this there must be great faithfulness in declaring the whole counsel of God, leproving men of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come; also pointing out clearly and forcibly the one true and only mode of salvation. In laboring for this object, moreover, it is important to study the characters of different classes of persons, ranging from those who are almost persuaded to be Christians to the opponents of the Gospel. Efforts made in behalf 24: 370 ENEKGY OF PUEPOSE. of tliese several classes should be discriminating both as to character and occasion. It may be adopted as a rule to labor specially for the most hopeful, but at the same time to neglect none. The minister should labor against hoj)e, trusting in the power of the divine word and the promises of God. Preach- ing designed to benefit the unawakened, or partially awakened, must be accompanied with personal visits and private appeals. Direct interviews with indi- viduals of this character often furnish the most hope- ful opportunities for leading them directly to the Saviour; and it is by diligent efforts to answer the questions, to remove the difficulties, and enconrage the hopes of those not yet born into the kingdom of God that the minister becomes more and more thoroughly furnished and specially qualified for his public duties as a preacher. In order to success in either branch of his labors, Mental and ^^^^ prcachcr must maintain in himself spiritual growth. ^ coustaut mcutal and spiritual growth at every period of his ministry. In his second and subsequent appointments as a pastor he must not be content with the mere routine of the first, but seek to improve upon that with enlightened and studious discretion. To make each year an improvement on the last should be his constant motto and endeavor. With increasing experience and zealous efibrt noth- ing is more practicable. In a settled pastorate this is absolutely essential to success; and in the itiner- ancy it is no less desirable, although a failure may be less obvious. It is precisely at this point that one of the most serious objections is made against the system of itinerancy. It is urged that its tend- ency is to induce mediocrity of ministerial develop- ment, a satisfaction on the part of the minister him- EXALTED AIMS. 371 self, wlicu lie lias prepared a number of sermons sufficient to eke out two successive years, which causes him to abandon further habits of diligent study and laborious preparation. This cannot be admitted as a legitimate tendency of the system, although it may be true that many individuals under the system have fallen into indolent habits, as is doubtless the case under other systems. Of course any man who adopts such views and practice must soon become dwarfed in mind and feeble in influence. It is there- fore of unspeakable importance for a young minister to set himself resolutely against every tendency and temptation to relax his efforts with his advancing experience in preaching. If itinerant ministers have special temptations to fall into a routine of Avoid pulpit labors, which, however new to strange people, must become monotonous to themselves, let them set a double guard against any influence, how- ever insidious, that might lead them to a loss of power or vitality in their pastoral ministrations. On the other hand, let them be diligent to seize upon the advantages which enlarged observation and a wider acquaintance with men and society may enable them to derive from systematic changes as an auxiliary to ever-growing powder in the pulpit. That such a result may be attained by an active mind and an energetic purpose is certain, cuerisiithe But in order to it high ground must be °°*'i«^'^°^* taken and maintained from the first. The preacher must never content himself with the present interest and satisfaction of his audience, but must aim by study and labor to cultivate an ever-growing interest in his duties. He must lift his people above the idea of going to church because it is a duty; he must create an attraction for them so that they will 372 PROMPTINGS OF THE PASTORATE. hunger and thirst for tlie word as for their daily food. Under the steady and powerful influence of a ministry that rises to this grand ideal, the rage for novelty and extravagance passes away like the dew of the morning before the rising sun. Such a ministry will neither have occasion nor tol- erance for self-repetition and spiritless efforts, but will 2;o on from strength to strength, finding favor both with God and man. Let the minister's time be redeemed with conscientious care. Let his pastoral visits be made with fidelity. Let his entire work be planned with a just conception of its magnitude and its bearings. Let the membership of his Church be enlisted in a co-operative system of evangelical labor of which he is the active and controlling center. In short, let him make full proof of his ministry as an overseer of the flock, and his inspiration as a preacher will rise with the growing interest, and ever multi- plying claims of the work in which he is engaged. Themes of discourse and illustrations of truth and duty, instead of having to be laboriously sought, will come unbidden to his aid, bringing with them all the merit of present adaptation. Indeed, more than any other condition of ministerial life, a faithful pastorate tends to convert the labor of preaching into a solid joy, and to make it a coveted means of glorious results. MISSIONARY LABOR. 373 CHAPTER XVII. PREACHING AS A MISSIONARY DUTY. PECULIARITIES OF MISSIONARY LABOR. The position of a Christian missionary lias these peculiarities as compared with that of a pastor : 1. He has no church to receive him. 2. Often no congregation to hear him. 3. No people to sympathize with him. He has uniformly to encounter the natural opposi- tion of the human heart to truth ; and usually the accumulated obstacles of ignorance, prejudice, and vicious customs. Sometimes systematic and organized heathenism or infidelity confront him, intrenched behind the institutions of ages. The great work of the foreign missionary muc«t be directed, 1. To arouse attention. 2. To affect the heart. 3. To overcome error and superstition ; and, 4. To spread the truth of God. This is a work of extreme difficulty, not only owing to the circumstances of the people, but also to the embarrassments of the missionary as a foreigner but /rnperfectly speaking their language. Moreover, he can have but brief access to the subjects of his labors, and usually in very unfavorable circumstances. They have no Sabbath ; he cannot visit them at their homes, and must consequently address them in highways, ia market-places, and at heathen festivals. 37^ DOMESTIC MISSIONS. It would be interesting and appropriate, did spaco allow, to present the peculiarities of missionary labor in Africa, in India, in China, and other countries. But it can only be remarked in passing, that curiosity is the great principle upon which the missionary is compelled to seize as a means of arousing and guid- ing attention to religious truth. The object of this chapter is to point out the nature of mission work in Christian lands. The field of domestic missions in the United States extends from the moral deserts of our large cities to the sparsely-settled districts of the remotest frontier. Domestic mis- ^ dcscrved promineucc has been given of sion fleida. ^^^q jesiYs, to city missious, and to evangel- ical labors in behalf of those degraded classes usually found in all great centers of population. With these may be classed missions to seamen in domestic and foreign ports, and also the duties of chaplains to soldiers and prisoners and freedmen. The rush of population to the gold mines of California, Colorado, ISTevada, and other territories has made nec- essary special efforts in behalf of the motley commu- nities usually gathered together at the localities of profitable or hopeful mining. Faithful ministers sent into such fields of labor soon learn the necessity of special endeavors to adapt them- selves to successfully preach the Gospel to classes of men whom they have not been accustomed to see within the walls of churches. § 1. Pastors should be Practical Missionaries. As a rule it may be affirmed that all pastors should interest themselves in practical missionary work, as well as in supporting the various missions referred to. There are few who desire to sow beside all waters OUT-DOOR PREACHING. 375 wlio will not tliemselvcs have occasional opportuni- ties to preach to the very classes of persons referred to either in connection with their own charges or during their travels. If diligent to visit prisons and hospitals, and to proclaim Christ in neglected neigh- borhoods and haunts of dissipation, they will find occasions for the most zealous and well-directed mis- sionary efforts. Sometimes such occasions may be met with at hotels, or on steamboats when traveling, and with some regularity at camp-meetings; while in the streets and market-places of cities it is often practicable to present the Gospel to those who would never come to hear it in churches. How far it may be best for the pastors of churches in cities to participate in street-preaching, is a ques- tion that cannot be satisfactorily decided apart from the peculiar circumstances in which they may be placed. But on the general question of the propriety of out-door preaching' there seems hardly room for two opinions. In favor of preaching to multitudes wherever they can be gathered we have the direct example of Christ and the apostles. Such authority ought to silence all doubt upon the subject. But if any one should query whether out-door preaching is called for in modern times, let him consult the annals of the Wesleyan Reformation. Let him follow "Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley, I^ elson, Pawson, Bradburn, Asbury, Lee, and other successful preachers of early Method- ism in England and America in their out-door labors for the furtherance of the Gospel, and his doubts will vanish. Nor will it be difficult to find, even down to the present day, convincing examples, though of a less prominent character. 376 q^talifications. § 2. Qualifications Essential to Success. Suffice it here to say, that whoever would succeed ill out-door preaching, and in that class of missionar;y efforts to which every minister is liable to be more or less frequently called, will need to cultivate great readiness and boldness of speech. He will need to understand human nature thoroughly, and to pos- sess himself calmly in the most exciting circum- stances. He should never forget that to win souls, rather than control mobs, is the proper object of hia ambition. To this end he must present truth in its most at- tractive and striking forms. He must acquire great skill in portraying character, so as to let every man see himself plainly in the Gospel glass. Many of the hints heretofore given on preaching to children are available for the purpose now under con- sideration, although care must be taken to avoid the remotest intimation that the intelligence of a crowd is underrated. Anecdote, promptness of retort, frequent varia- tions of the form of address, multiplied illustrations, and all other lawful devices of the public speaker will need to be at the ready command of him who would fully succeed in this class of efforts. But no one should be discouraged by partial failure at first. Practice is as necessary in this kind of preaching as in any other in order to attain the maximum of power. Nevertheless, he who would by all means save sinners will hold himself in readiness to do good even in a small degree and with occasional opportu- nities. Whatever may be said of other good qualities of EXAMPLE OF THE MASTER. oil tliis species of address, there is but little doubt tliat in genuine religious faithfulness lies the ultimate secret of success. This in its active glow with the divine blessing will render even feeble talents effect- ive for great good, and if coupled with high orator- ical power may exert an influence almost unbounded. But entirely apart from the question of irregular services, the maintenance of a genuine and practical missionary spirit is essential to the highest success of a minister of Christ. This spirit, whatever may be his sphere of labor, will lift him above the level of professional routine, and increase his moral power to a degree he could never reach without it. Under its influence hardships will be endured, difficulties surmounted, and no efibrts will be counted too great for the saving of souls. Christ's earthly life was eminently one of missionary toil and sacrifice, and in this characteristic he is to be imitated by all his true disciples, but especially by the embassadors of his truth. ' Indeed, the great desideratum of the Church, as well in Christian as in pagan lands, is a ministry imbued with the Spirit of Christ as exem- plified in his mission to seek and to save them that were lost. Its necessity is implied in the tenor of the great commission, and all professed ministers of Jesus who find themselves disposed to labor under any narrower commission than that originally given to the apostles may well take heed lest they incur tilt woe of " them that are at ease in Zion." 378 PKOPRIETIES. CHAPTER XVIIL THE PROPRIETIES AND VICES OF THE PULPIT. § 1. Proprieties. There is no cliaracter among men to whom an acute sense of propriety is more necessary than to the minister of the GospeL He needs its guidance in all his intercourse with society, and especially in the performance of his public duties. He is then exposed to the gaze of the multitude, where an im- proper word or action makes him the subject of remark, if not of censure. It is highly important, therefore, that ministers, from their earliest appearance before congregations, should reflect upon the essential proprieties of de- meanor in the church of God and in the sacred desk. It is possible by a haughty or a careless manner, even in entering the church, to disgust an audience. On the other hand, by a manner true to the dignity and meekness of the holy ofiice it is equally possible to impress a congregation favorably for the reception of the truth. Two examples will illustrate this position. It ia related of the eloquent and devoted Spencer, of Liv- ei*pool, that on one occasion when about to ascend the steps of his pulpit he so far forgot himself as tu spring up two or- three steps at a single bound. This circumstance naturally excited remark and cen sure among his people, and was a cause of bitter humiliation and regret to himself After the death of M'Cheyne, of Scotland, there CLERICAL DEMEANOR. 379 wa^ found upon his desk an unopened note from one who liad licard Lis last sermon to this effect : " Par don a stranger for addressing to you a few lines. I heard you preach last Sabbath evening, and it pleased God to bless that sermon to my soul. It wa3 not so much what you said as your manner of speak ing it that struck me. I saw in you a beauty of holiness I never saw before." PKOPEIETIES INVOLVED IN A MINISTER'S PERSONAL DEMEANOR. A minister's walk and appearance in entering the house of God should be equally removed from awk- wardness and from artificial airs. His demeanor from first to last should be characterized by thought- ful solemnity, and yet by ease and self-possession. It is said to be the custom of ministers in Holland to manifest a reverence for the pulpit by pausing at its lowest step in silent prayer. This may be very well, but it seems less appropri- ate to all the circumstances of the place and the serv- ice than the custom of kneeling after entering the pulpit, not toward the audience, but modestly toward the wall, as before the Invisible, to invoke divine aid in every act and word belonging to that sacred place. To enter the pulpit with apparent unconcern, and to sit down and gaze about upon an audience, beto- kens a lack of that devotional feeling which ought to be felt by the minister, and through his example communicated to the assembly. Any act out of harmony with such a frame of mind, whether of ostentation or of inadvertence, whether relating to himself or others, will mar the propriety of an occasion of worship. Adjustments of the clothing or of the hair, manip- 380 CLEP.ICAL HABITS. ulation of one's handkercliief or watch-key, or any otlier act that might divert attention from higher and appropriate objects, should be carefully avoided. The minister should never seem to recognize that The preacher hc is obscrvcd by tlic audienco, but should worshiper. procccd, like any other worshiper, to par- ticipate in the solemnities of the occasion. He should habitually commence with promptness. He should read his hymns in a clear and audible voice, and, it possible, join in singing the praises of God. In offer- ing prayer he should kneel before his Maker, and with closed eyes and devout supplication should lead his congregation to the very throne of the heavenly grace. He should handle the books with quiet rev- erence, and not toss them about or beat them like dead matter. He should regard the Holy Bible as containing: the livino; oracles of God, and should treat it with the respect due its author. He should not lay it aside to make room for his notes ; he should not close it on taking his text, as if inde- pendent of its aid ; but with the open book before him, as the guide and source of his teachings, he should acknowledge it to be his highest aim to declare the words which God has spoken. And liaving appropriately discharged the duties of the pulpit, he should maintain a walk and conversation so harmonious with them as never to excite the ob- servation of incongruity or insincerity. It is inde- scribably painful to the pious to witness levity and indiscretion on the part of those to whom they are accustomed to look for the bread of life. Avoid levity. » j And yet how often are they forced to wish that they only saw and heard tlieir ministers in the pulpit ! A single light or incautious expression AUXILIARY SERVICES. 381 fiometimes neutralizes the entire effect of a serraon. "But to such expressions some ministers are particu- larly prone, following the excitement of preaching. The surest if not the only remedy against evils of this kind is found in the admonition of the Saviour to his disciples : " "Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." THE AUXILIARY SERVICES OF THE PULPIT. If preaching and hearing be regarded as the lead- ing and central object of religious assemblies on the Sabbath, the other services of the sanctuary should be regarded as auxiliary to that object. Hence in selecting the hymns and Scripture lessons, as well as in offering prayer, regard should be had to an essential unity of design with the sermon itself, so as, if possible, to make a definite and powerful im- pression, not weakened by a contrariety of subjects. Every minister should seek to qualify himself to read the Scriptures with great impressiveness, and with a truthful indication of the meaning of every word. To this end, as well as for general elocu- tionary improvement, the practice of daily reading aloud in a large room or in the open air is of great advantage. ISTotices should be read at the time when they will least divert attention from the leading object of the service, hence generally before the sermon. When the sermon accomplishes in any good degree its object, the concluding prayer and hymn should follow in its immediate train, deepening the impres- eion which has been made. The congregation should also be dismissed with Bolemnity, and become accustomed to retire in thoughtful silence. 382 INCAPACITY. If the Psalmist spoke truly in saying, "Holi- ness becometli thy house, O Lord, forever," it must ever be the duty of those who conduct the Boiemnities of scrviccs of the sauctuary to so govern worship. them at every point as that their influ* ence may be riglit upon the hearts and lives of the people. A failure to perceive what is strictly proper, and still worse, an incapacity to quietly and wisely govern an assembly, especially if it lead to any indiscretion on the part of the preacher, will often cause disorder, trifling, and other serious breaches of decorum greatly at variance with the objects of public worship. As a general rule, a minister is responsible for the public conduct of his congregation. If any members of it are not aware of what is proper or improper in the liouse of God they should be patiently instructed. If any are willfully rude or disorderly, the minister with such aid as he may secure should see that they are effectually corrected, or at least prevented fror^ doing harm to others. While promptness and decision of character are important in their place, it must never be forgotten that love and gentleness are the great instrument alities by which the froward are restrained and the careless- effectually rebuked. By long usage the utterance of a scriptural bene- diction has become the established mode The benediction. ^ ,. . . ,. . 01 dismissmg a religious congregation. By some ministers this act seems to be regarded as analogous to that of priestly absolution. Hence with open eyes gazing upon the people and with out- Btretched hands they declare upon them the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Ghost. MINISTEKIAL COURTESY. 383 The error of this mode of pronouncing the bene- diction is obvious from the simple reflection that the olessings indicated in the apostolic benediction are peculiarly the gift of God. They are not committed to mortals to dispense, ministers though thc}^ be. Hence they are to be sought in supplication, with uplifted hands and closed eyes, expressive of con- scious dependence upon the Giver of all good gifts. Attention to the different Scripture benedictions will show that they are invariably supplicatory in fact, if not in form. Hence ministers should not assume to bestow blessings when their highest prov- ince is to invoke them upon the people. MINISTERIAL COURTESY. Courtesy may be enumerated among the proprie- ties of tlie pulpit. It is enjoined and commended in the New Testament as a Christian virtue. Christian courtesy condescends to men of low estate ; it honors the poor, the aged, and the stranger. In its highest and purest forms it should pervade all the intercourse of a minister with his people and his audiences. It also has special application to his ministerial brethren. When a stranger is invited to preach for you courtesy will prompt you to conduct him to the pulpit, to offer him the hymn book and Bible, to in- troduce him in some modest form to your congre- gation, and thus make him feel at home with your people. On the other hand, courtesy will prompt the Btranger to conform to your modes of worship, to avoid attacks upon your doctrines or usages, although he may not receive them, all as his own, and to pre- sent those views of truth in which you and he may fully harmonize. 384 MINISTERIAL COURTESY. Courtesy between ministers demands frankness in giving and accepting, or declining invitations to preach. It rejects ceremonious formalities in refer- ence to either, and demands truth from the lips as well as in the heart. True Christian feeling is at once the source and exponent of real politeness. It generously prompts and kindly accepts appropriate attentions, as well in ministerial as in common life, while it scorns idle ceremony and false pretense. The late Dr. Bethune once uttered words on the subject of courtesy in ministerial character^ which deserve to go down to posterity, and may fitly con- clude the treatment of this topic : Our brethren in the ministry should ever be spoken of with honor and kindness. Let ministers show disrespect for each other and the world will soon show disrespect for the. whole ministry. They are heralds of " the glorious Gospel of the blessed God." Especially the fathers in the ministry are to be ven- erated and given all precedence. "Rise up before the hoary head," is a command of the Holy Ghost; but when the head hag grown gray in righteousness, and been made glorious by many anointings of the Holy Spirit, it ought to abash the flippant tonguo and beardless self-sufficiency of a stripling but a few days from the theological nursery. It is most oifensive to see such green babblers pushing aside God's veterans in council and action. The new weight of responsibility should make them humble, and common decency loth to obtrude. He that is not willing to take the lowest place shall never hear the Master saying, " Friend, come up higher." To be conspicuous in littleness one need onljr stand on the pedestal of a Colossus. Can I be wrong in saying that a Christian preacher should be the highest style of gentleman? Not one of those polished hypocrites, fashioned by the tailor, dancing-master, and hair- dresser, who usurp the name; covering coldness of heart with pretenses of friendship ; flattering to cajole; bowing where they feel no respect, and promising service while they intend to abandon, circumvent, or destroy. But a gentleman in the true * Oration at Andover, 1842. PROPRIETIES OF THE SACRED DESK. 385 sense of that honorable term, lirm in liif^li princii)]e, and dignified by integrity; frank without bhintness, kind without flattery, gentle without weakness, exact without formality, charitable without show; free from affectation, egotism, or impertinence; ever mindful of his neighbor's feelings, tolerant of his infirmities, and patient with his mistakes; never intrusive nor yet bash^iil, tempering his speech to the occasion, ready to give place to the older, the wiser, the stranger, and the more feeble ; yielding Bcrupulons respect to authority, not ashamed of allegiance to God, and serving his fellow-men for God's sake. These, beloved brethren, are the maxims that should govern our lives, and mark our demeanor in the pulpit, where we stand in Christ's place, examples as well as expounders of Christianity. "We need no silken deceits, no fashionable airs, no flattering ob- sequiousness. But if we be humble, as we ought to be; if we walk as followers of the meek, mild, and merciful Jesus, and learn, as good scholars, from the Holy Spirit, of concord and order, we must manifest it by a real deference, a sweet respect, a kind consideration, and a gracious manner toward all with whom we have to do. If we address men as sinners it will not be in harsh or re- pulsive language, as though we were better than they ; but by putting ourselves among them as sinners saved by free grace, which we entreat them to share. If we rebuke it will be in the name of God, before whom we tremble. If we denounce licen- tiousness it will be in no gross terms, but with a delicacy shrink- ing from the shame duty requires us to discover. If we foretell the miseries of the lost it will be with a pious terror, and an earnest desire to avert them from our hearers, " for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God;" and we might well weep over impenitent souls, as Christ did over Jerusalem. If we be in controversy, (though it is far better to refute error by teaching truth,) our opponent, however we handle his argu- ments, should receive from us the respect due to a man. Mere abuse always gives him a moral advantage in the sympathies of the people, and supercilious airs of anticipated triumph disgust by their vanity. Railing makes a blackguard mouth ; and he who calls ill-names in the pulpit or out of it, dares to say of his fellow-sinner what Michael, the archangel, dared not of the devil himself. There is nothing so strong as a fair argument in meek Mps. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." 25 386 PLAGIARISM, OR LITERARY THEFT. § 2. YiCES OF THE Pulpit. The term vices is used in tliis connection to in- dicate a class of serious faults which are not often found aggregated, but which singly, or with more or less cohesion, are quite too common among preachers.. PLAGIARISM, OR LITERARY THEFT. Stealing is always a vice, and certainly not less so when applied to the products of the mind than to those of the hand. Like other vices, also, it hardens the criminal and renders him insensible to the niceties of moral obli- gation, and often to the hazards of detection. This is shown by the fact that not seldom plagiarists be- come so bold as to rush into print, and run all the risks of actual collation and comparison of their stolen matter with the original. The greater difficulty of comparison in the case of a spoken discourse may embolden still greater liberty on the part of speakers who have no moral scruples to deter them from the use, without proper credit, of other men's productions. There certainly exists in the Christian literature of the present age a large provision for the entertain- ment and instruction of the people, and hundreds of volumes containing such instruction are not likely to find their way into the hands of the masses. Xow, why may not a preacher avail himself of the labors of other men by copying or committing his sermona fiom books rather than to have the labor of writing or preaching new ones continually, and especially when he knows that his best efforts will not equal the literary merits of many sermons already written and published? One reply may be given to this question in the statement, that if the reproduction PLAGIARISM. 387 of fine sermons already written were the chief thing required of the modern pulpit, churches might read- ily supply themselves with the volumes containing them, and at a rate much cheaper than the support of living ministers. Circumstances occur in which the reading of ser- mons from books is highly appropriate, as in the ab- sence of a minister, or when a minister has a special and sufficient reason for reading the discourse of an- other man, for example, Wesley's sermon on dress or on popular amusements ; but any effort to gather or maintain a congregation by the reading or recitation of the sermons of other men, if the mode of proceed- ing be known, will result in failure. The natural demand of mankind in respect to public teaching is the living speaker. Him, in what they suppose to be his proper character, they will come and hear, though they know that his ability is inferior to that of authors they may read at home. This principle may be tested by political gather- ings. The finest things that can be written or said on various political questions are already in print; but where could you gather a mass of people to hear speeches read, even of the greatest statesmen or ora- tors? Yet people will come in crowds to hear living and actual speakers, although but ordinary men, dis- cuss the questions of the day. ]N"otwithstanding the claim made by the public and by truth for originality upon preachers, yet some ministers commit plagiarism in one or more of tho following forms : 1. Of entire sermons, by copying from books, hj exchanging with other ministers, and by purchasing manuscripts and lithographs prepared for their use. 2. The plagiarism of extracts, which are interwoveu 388 MODES OF PLAGIARISM. witii more or less regularity into the web or woof of their discourses. 3. Of plans. Some good men have encouraged a very loose mo- rality respecting the use of plans of sermons. Yolumes on volumes have been published and recommended to young ministers and others supposed to need helps of this kind. The impropriety of adopting them has been shown in a former part of this work, on the ground of its tendency to enfeeble the mind and pre- vent a man from ever attaining true independence in preaching. It is only necessary to add, that if a preacher intentionally adopts the plan of another he is morally bound to give appropriate credit. 4. Another species of plagiarism consists in direct efforts at imitation. It has been already explained that we are at per- fect liberty, it is indeed our duty, to imbibe the spirit of whatever excellences we read or see or hear. But if we reproduce them it must be in our own way, with our own language, and having passed through our own mental processes. But when we seek to imitate other men's intona- tions, forms of expression, and modes of thought, we to a certain degree become plagiarists, and are gener- ally rewarded according to our deed by only succeed- ing to imitate the faults rather than the excellences of those we admire. Be yourself "rather than an angel," said Adam Clarke, l^evertheless, we should put forth great efforts to make ourselves more worthy men though we cannot be angels. STAKRING. 389 INDOLENCE OP PREPAKATION. This involves a lazj routine of subjects, tlie too fiequent repetition of old sermons, and also a lack of interest, of ingenuity, or of diligence in adapting truth to the instruction of the people. So much has been said in foregoing chapters upon the duty and modes of preparation to preach, that it cannot now be necessary to dwell upon the negative aspects of the subject any further than to characterize neglect or indolence in reference to this matter as a serious evil, and one into which extemporaneous preachers are very liable to fall. STARRING. This term is used to indicate the habit of using a few showy or superior sermons at the expense of more general and uniform excellence. There can be no objection to few or many good and even superior sermons if adapted to the occasions of their delivery. Attempts, however, to show off great talents, or to seek reputation by means of one or more extraordinary efforts which will be neces- sarily in contrast with one's ordinary ministry, are of more than doubtful propriety. The influence of such a course upon the minister himself is bad. It will at least gradually compromise the acuteness of his sense of honesty and truth, while it will encourage in him a hunger and thirst after human applause rather than a single desire for the honor that cometh down from God. The effect it w^ill have upon liis reputation and use fulness in the Church will be ultimately injurious, however he may at first be flattered by apparent success. 390 SEEIOUS VICES. If the question be asked, Is it not better to prepare All sermons a few good sormons rather than many poor should be . ^ i t n i •, . good ones? it may nndoubtedly be answered m the affirmative. But such ao answer by no means concedes the propriety of preparing or preaching any- poor sermons. If a preacher is compelled by circum- stances to preach oftener than he would desire, he is at liberty to curtail the length of his sermons to the narrowest limits ; nevertheless, he should every time do his best. 'No one knows what he can do until he is brought under the strong pressure of necessity, and made to feel a deep sense of dependence upon God for illu- mination and aid. At least indirectly under the present head, it is proper to notice and condemn every species of ex- travagance, bombast, and clap-trap which are some- times employed to draw crowds. The principle of appealing to the lower sentiments of humanity for the sake of securing applause being once adopted, it is liable to assume a variety of forms, and sometimes to descend very low. It cannot be denied that even vulgarity and flat- tery of the mob are sometimes resorted to Serious vices. in the pulpit, and that they seem to secure their object. That their results, however, are ever good, and not injurious to the cause of true religion, is as little questionable. They are always in extremely ill taste, and they imply a lack of confidence in truth, and a disposition to rely on carnal agencies for the promotion of the Gospel not consistent with the faith of a Christian minister. Besides, the tendency of such indulgences is to desecrate the hallowed place and to break the sacred charm of religious associations. WITTICISM. 391 As affectation is never graceful, so coarseness is never effective, There is no force nor wit in slang or cant expressions; or if they excite attention for tlie moment it is at the expense of the honso of God, the ministry, and the Gospel itself, by pandering to a low taste, and investing sacred things with ludicrous and grovel- ing associations. The man who plays the buffoon or the clown in a pulpit leaves not that solemn place what he found it. How- ever dignified the preacher may be that follows him, the people cannot look up to listen, and forget the tricks that were played where he stands ; vulgar pruriency will long for the gross excite- ment, and the refined cannot wholly discharge the sickening images from their thoughts. Let once the boisterous laugh ring round a place of worship, and its echoes will disturb the medita- tions of the pious for many a long day. Never forget yourselves, nor suffer those to preach for you who do forget, that the Church is "none other than the gate of heaven," and the ministry men consecrated to convert the hearts, refine the temper, and exalt the minds of a degraded world, by uplifting before them, in all its grandeur and sweetness, the Gos- pel of a holy God. — Bethune. WITTICISM. On tlie use of wit and humor in preaching there is a greater variety of opinion. Some earnestly con- tend for the supposed propriety of applying ridicule and sarcasm to error and sin. If the question were with reference to general literature, or the style of a mere moralist, it might be differently regarded, since certain species of folly may be made to wither under the application of ridicule, and humor is very enter- taining. With reference to preaching the Gospel, however, the question arises on the score of congruity and pro- priety in their highest and gravest sense. In this view, the most that can be said in favor of wit and humor can only present them as very feeble auxilia- ries to a Christian minister, whereas danger of gross impropriety attends their use. If, in deference to 392 HUMOK. those rare examples of irony found in tlie Scriptures, it be conceded that humor may be occasionally em- ployed, it mnst also be enjoined to keep it under rigid restraint. Some men are gifted with an extraordi- nary flow of humor, which without doubt may be dis- ciplined and sanctified so as to become a talent of usefulness, when judiciously employed, even in the pulpit. But against its free indulgence or excessive use by ministers in any circumstances, distinct warn- ings should be uttered. In all periods of the history of preaching the abuses of this faculty seem to have been more obvious than its uses. Hence it may be better to rest the case upon the testimony of good men rather than upon a theoretic argument. Kidicule (says Vinet) shuts the soul to religious emotions. Moreover it is a weapon that may be applied to good as well as to evil, and one which if a minister uses he is very likely to have with greater power turned against himself. Dean Swift, in his letter to a young clergyman, throws a shaft of ridicule at the very practice in ques- tion. He says ; I cannot forbear warning in the most earnest manner against endeavoring at wit in your sermons, because by the strictest computation it is very near a million to one that you have none, and because too many of your calling have made themselves everlastingly ridiculous by attempting it. I remember several young men in this town who could never leave the pulpit under half a dozen conceits^ and this faculty adhered to those gentlemen a longer or shorter time, exactly in proportion to their severa* degrees of dullness ; accordingly I am told that some of them i e- tain it to this day. I heartily wish the brood were at an end. Again, the use of wit tends to depreciate the esti- mate in which one's judgment is held, and conse- quently to lower the influence of a minister's personal AUTHORITIES. 893 cliaracter. Lord Karnes is antliority upon tliis point, although liis remarks are general, and not designed for the present application. He says : Wit and judgment are seldom imited. Wit consists cliiefly in joining things by distant and fanciful relations, which surprise because they are unexpected. Such relations, being of the slight- est kind, readily occur only to those who make every relation equally welcome. Wit upon that account is incompatible with eolid judgment. " Subjects really grave are by no means fit for rid- icule." And yet those who ought to be grave minis- ters are tempted sometimes to indulge in ridicule because it excites laughter and the appearance of a momentary approbation. Campbell, author of the Philosophy of Rhetoric, says : I'he effect designed by the pulpit, namely, the reformation of mankind, requires a certain seriousness whicli ought uniformly to be preserved by the preacher. His time, place, and occupa- tion seem all incompatible with the levity of ridicule; they (indeed) render jesting impertinence and laughter madness. Therefore anything from the pulpit which might provoke this emotion would be deemed an unpardonable offense against both piety and decorum. Edmondson, in his work on the Christian Ministry, "tTever aim at disj)lays of wit in the pulpit. This might suit a buffoon, but ill becomes a grave minister of Jesus Clirist. Triflers migh* like it well enough, but the deeply serious would be disgusted. Baxter enters his solemn protest against witticism rn the pulpit in these words : Of all preaching in the world that speaks not stark lies, I hate that which tendeth to make the hearers laugh or to move their minds with tickling levity, and affect them as stage-players uso to do, instead of affecting them with a holy reverence in the name of God. 394 cowPER. The same evil, with some otheriS, has been gibbetecJ in the immortal verse of Cowper : Would I describe a preaclier, such as Paul, Were he on earth, would hear, approve, and own — Paul should himself direct me. I would trace His master strokes, and draw from his design. I would express him simple, grave, sincere: In doctrine uncorrupt : in language plain. And plain in manner ; decent, solemn, chaste, And natural in gesture ; much impressed Himself, as conscious 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 messenger of grace to guilty men. Behold the picture ! Is it like ? Like whom ? The things that mount the rostrum 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 I In man or woman, but far most in man, And most of all in man that ministers And serves the altar, in my soul I loathe All atfectation. Tis my perfect scorn; Object of my implacable disgust. "What ! will a man play tricks, will he indulge A silly fond conceit of his fair form, And just proportion, fashionable mien, And pretty face, in presence of his God? Or will he seek to dazzle me with tropes As with the diamond 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 oflSce, and, instead of truth. Displaying his own beauty, starves his flock I Therefore, avaunt all attitude, and stare, And start theatric, practiced at the glass 1 * -x- * -x- * He that negotiates between God and man AFFECTATION OF PROFUNDITY. 395 As God's embassador, the grand concerns Of judgment and of mercy, should beware Of lightness in his speech. 'Tis pitiful To court a grin when you should woo a soul; To break a jest, when pity would inspire Pathetic exhortation ; and to address The skittish fancy with facetious tales When sent with God's commission to the heart! So did not Paul. Direct me to a quip Or merry turn in all he ever wrote, And I consent you take it for your text, Your only one, till sides and benches fail. No : he was serious in a serious cause, And understood too well the weighty terms That he had taken in charge. He would not stoop To conquer those by jocular exploits "Whom truth and soberness assail'd in vain. THE AFFECTATION OF PROFUNDITY. Eeal profundity is bad enougli. To a few persona it is habitual ; but it renders them so enigmatic and incomprehensible to mankind in general that they are of but little service as public teachers. In order to be useful, such persons need to learn the language and style of thought common among the people whom they address. To the great majority of preachers that language and style of thought are familiar; but some affect to ignore it at the very time when it might be of the most service to them. They put on airs of superior wisdom, they use "great swelling words" and lofty pretensions. If they speak m common language, or on topics within the range of ordinary mortals, they take care to let you know that it is a peculiar condescension ; a descent or ascent to surface ideas quite out of their common course. In these ways and others like them some may suc- ceed in causing the wonderment of the simple, but rarely in hiding their own shallowness. 396 TEDIOUSNESS. Avoid affectation then in all its forms, but espe- cially that of great wisdom and of personal conse- quence. It will infallibly distress your friends and disgust the enemies of religion. Get all the real learning and wisdom you can, but fail not to associate with them that modesty and humility which become true intellectual greatness as well as the Christian, and especially the ministerial character. " He that winneth souls is wise." TEDIOUSNESS. This is a very unnecessary but nevertheless a com- mon fault of the pulpit. Against it every minister should watch with eagle eye. The remarks and example of William Jay may be received as of un- questioned authority upon the subject : There is nothing against which a preacher should he more guarded than length. "Nothing," says Lamont, "can justify a long sermon. If it be a good one it need not be long, and if it be a bad one it ought not to be long." Boyle has an essay on "Patience under Long Preaching." This was never more wanted since the Commonwealth than now, especially among our young divines and academics, who think their performances can never be too much attended to. I never err in this way myself but my conviction always laments it, and for many years after I began preaching I nemr offended in this way. I never surpassed forty-five minutes at most. I saw one excellency was within my reach : it was brevity, and this I was determined to i^ obtain. Let other ministers make the same determination. They may be confirmed in it by the advice of Luther, who said : I would not have preachers torment their hearers with long and tedious preaching. When I am in the pulpit I regard neither doctors nor magistrates, but I have an eye to the mul- titudes of young people, children, and servants. ELOQUENCE. 397 CHAPTER XIX. THE PHILOSOPHY OF ELOQUENCE CONSIDERED IN REFERENCE TO PREACHING. Eloquence is a topic of universal interest. It has been discussed by the learned in the most enlightened countries for more than three thousand years. A school was established in Greece and a book written to promote instruction in oratory half a century before the Trojan war, a period parallel with the days of Solomon. Eloquence has not been unknown in savage tribes, and with the progress of civilization its study and cultivation increases. Yet even down to the present day there continue to be conflicting views as to what eloquence really is. On no subject within the range of literature will the student find more difference of ti'catment among standard authors. § 1. Yarious Definitions of Eloquence. From the earliest Greek writers down through the treatises of Cicero and Quintilian among the Romans he will find a confused use of the terms rhetoric^ ora- tory^ and eloquejice. The prevaiHng theory to tlie period of Cicero was that rhetoric was the art of per- suasion, and that eloquence was the result of rhetoric. Quintilian objected to that definition on the ground that persuasion was often accomplished by money and other means in no sense oratorical. He sought to give a better definition by calling " Ehetoric the art of ^8 DEFINITIONS. Bpeaking well," and eloquence the end or perfection of good speaking. Most modern writers have fol- lowed one or the other of these ancient theories. Campbell, author of the Philosophy of Rhetoric, fol- lowing Cicero's definition, says: "Eloquence in ita greatest latitude denotes that art or talent by which discourse is adapted to its end;" and "the ends of speaking are reducible to four, every speech being intended to enlighten the understanding, to please the imagination, to move the passions, to influence the will." His view is that some one of these objects will preponderate in every discourse, but that they all may have appropriate place in one discourse. Dr. Porter, of Andover, adopts Campbell's defini- tion. Blair vaguely uses the term eloquence as synony- mous with public speaking, and. says: "The best definition which, I think, can be given of eloquence is the art of speaking in such a manner as to attain the end for which we speak." John Quincy Adams, improving upon Quintilian, calls rhetoric the science, and oratory the art of speak- ing well. He also ingeniously identifies the defini- tion of Quintilian with the language of inspiration in the book of Genesis. When Moses was charged with the mission to Pharaoh his excuse was, "I am not eloquent, but am slow of speech and of a slow tongue." The Almighty condescended to associate Aaron with him, saying of him, "I know that ho can speak well ;" practically, he is eloquent. The German author, Theremin, accepting the theory of Quintilian, that the orator must be a good man, writes an ingenious treatise under the title, "Eloquence a Yirtue." In the fundamental view that eloquence Boeks to produce a change in the sentiments and DEFINITIONS. 309 conduct of meu, lie urges that "rhetoric, considered lis the theory of eloquence, is a part of ethics, and that eloquence itself is an ability to exert influence according to ethical laws." He further says: "Elo- quence in all its various forms is nothing but the development of the ethical impulse itself," Yinet is more than usually difluse in his treatment of eloquence. He quotes La Bruyere, who says : " It is a gift of the soul, which makes us masters of the mind and heart of others, which enables us to inspire them as we will, or persuade them to whatever we please." Also Pascal, who says : " Eloquence consists in a correspondence which we endeavor to establish be- tween the mind and heart of those to whom we speak, on the one hand, and the thought and expres- sions which we employ on the other." He further quotes D'Alembert : " Eloquence properly consists only in vivid and rapid traits; its effect is lively emotion, and all emotion is enfeebled b}^ being pro- longed. Eloquence, then, in a discourse of any length, can reign only at intervals ; the lightning darts and the cloud closes." Yinet adopts as his own theory a digest of these views, slightly modified, to the effect that eloquence is subjectively a gift of the soul, and objectively a quality of style that may be not only vivid and rapid, but continuous. He, however, takes particular paina to maintain that eloquence is a unit. "Eloquence certainly is always the same ; it is not one thing in the pulpit, and another in the senate or at the bar." And yet the same author speaks of " eloquence not oratorical ; the eloquence of narration as well as that of reasoning ; eloquence of kinds the most diverse." Again, an American writer,* conforming to the * Fowler on the English Language. 400 THE TRUE IDEA. definition of Webster, the lexicographer, pronounces eloquence to be " the language of emotion." In the face of so many and such long -continued di- vergencies is it possible to deduce a harmonious and comprehensive theory of eloquence ? In order to do so it is necessary first to reject all partial and vague definitions, such as those which call eloquence an art, a talent, a gift, or a method. §2. Analysis of the True Idea of Eloquence. Let us begin at the root of the matter. What is eloquence ? The answer cannot be given in a single word or sentence. The term eloquence has difi'erent significations, all of which revolve around the idea of expression. Without expression there can be no eloquence. Any form of expression, even panto- mime, may secure in some degree the objective result of eloquence. There is indeed " a dumb eloquence not even denied to the brutes," but it is upon man especially that powers of expression have been lav- ished as a distinguishing gift, with corresponding powers of perception. The fountain of expression is within the soul. It consists of thought and feeling. Speech is the principal organ of expression, but col- lateral to it are all significant movements of the body, Buch as gesture, or the changes of the countenance. Let us now accept the scriptural idea that an elo- quent man is one who can speak well. His geriptur«i eloquence must first exist within him or it '**®*- can never be uttered. This is the eloquence of thought. But if it remains in his thouglits, tliDugh he be a very Moses for wisdom, his feliow-men will not recognize it ; they will be unm(ived by his "slow tongue." Eloquence of thought must find expression, in language. Ilere is its second pliase as a quality THE TRUE IDEA. 401 of discourse. It is this wliicli lias been almost exclu- Bivelj regarded by rhetoricians, and hence so many imperfect definitions. Its third phase is found in the effect it produces on the minds of other men. The object of speaking is to stir the thoughts and emotions of other men. "With reference to an audience, or objectively, no speech is eloquent which fails to accomplish that end. In reference to style, we may call that eloquent which usually conveys or excites eloquent emotions ; but style of language is a very small part of eloquence, and that which without specific adaptation and good elocution accomplishes little or nothing. The effect of eloquence, moreover, depends somewhat upon the hearer. A discourse which is eloquent to others may fall profitless upon an inattentive ear, or may fail to arouse a sluggish mind. On the other hand, the power of truth or feeling when inadequately ex- pressed may sometimes produce eloquent thoughts and strong emotions. Eloquence in its full sense is that powerful com- bination of thought, language, and delivery which extorts attention from the listless, excites the thought- fulness of the indifferent, and kindles the emotion of the coldest heart. In brief, eloquence is good speak- ing, and especially that which excites emotion. ELOQUENCE NOT A UNIT. IT DIFFERS IN KINDS AND DEGREES. It is absurd to call it a unit — always the same. Its varieties are infinite. ]S"ot more varied are human countenances than the types of mind which beam through them, and whicli may have their several forms and characters of eloquent expression. Among all the distinguished orators and preachers the world 26 i02 NOT A UNIT. has ever known it is not possible to name two alike. It is not dijfficult, indeed, to distinguish similarities and classes, or for students to make choice of styles most in harmony with their tastes ; yet it is well to study all varieties as containing elements of sugges* tion and instruction. ;N"ot only does eloquence differ as to individual types, but also widely as to occasion and design. From ancient times the eloquence of the bar, the senate, and the forum have been regarded as distinct in kind, though having points in common. That of the pulpit is broadly distinguished from all the fore- going by its objects and instrumentalities. Again, eloquence differs in degree as well as in kind. Blair's distinctions of degree are admissible with a single change. Eloquence of the first degree only aims to please^ as in panegyrics, inaugurals, addresses of cere- mony, and the like. The second aims to instruct and convince. To this belongs chiefly the eloquence of the bar, although it embraces many sermons. The third aims to secure a far greater control over the human mind, by rousing its feelings or ^sensi- bilities and swaying its passions. Excited debate, popular assemblies, and the pulpit give occasion for eloquence of the third degree. § 3. The term Eloquence by Eminence applied only to the highest degrees. Wliile it must be conceded that men often speak well for the minor objects named under the first and second degrees, and consequently that the lower de- grees of eloquence have an actual existence, yet in common modern use the term eloquence is only POWER OF ELOQUENCE. 403 applied to the third degree, and by superiority only 10 the highest forms of that. This lact will serve to harmonize much apparent contradiction in the writers above quoted and others. Thus Dr. J. W. Alexander says, " only one man in a thousand can be eloquent ;" and yet the drift of his book is to encourage all preachers to endeavor to become eloquent. It is in this superlative sense that eloquence is the language of the emotions. But in admitting this we do not deny the propriety or the possibility of eloquence in addresses to the intellect or appeals to the judgment. We call a man strong who can lift great weights, but we do not deny that a man who would fail altogether to lift such weights has strength in a lower The power of degrcc. So WO Say a discourse is elo- eioquence. qucut wliicli sccurcs great control over the will and passions of men ; but in so saying we do not deny a lower degree of eloquence to one which merely pleases or instructs. Hence let May be acqxured. it i . i • i none be discouraged m then* hopes to attain eloquence who at first can only aspire to its first or lower degrees. Let all ministers especially be diligent in acquiring the elements of success — the thoughts, the feelings, the capacities of language and utterance, and trust Providence for opportunities for their successful exercise, indeed for those com- binations of circumstances and efforts which are essential to the highest degrees of eloquence. The views here advocated find strong corroboration in the immortal words of Daniel Webster : When public bodies are to be addressed on momcntons occa- sions, when great interests are at stake and strong passions ex- cited, nothing is valuable in speech further than it is connected with high intellectual and moral endowments. Clearness, force, 404 PULPIT ELOQUENCE. and earnestness are the qualities which produce conviction. True eloquence, indeed, does not consist in speech. It cannot he brought from far. Labor and learning may toil for it, but they will toil in vain. Words and phrases may be marshaled in every way, but they cannot compass it. It must exist in the man, in the subject, and in the occasion. Affected passion, in- tense expression, the pomp of declamation, all may aspire to it ,• they cannot reach it. It comes, if it come at all, like the out- breaking of a fountain from the earth, or the bursting forth of volcanic fires, with spontaneous, original native force. The graces taught in the schools, the costly ornaments and studied contrivances of speech, shock and disgust men when their own lives, and the fate of their wives, their children, and their country hang on the decision of an hour. Then words have lost their power, rhetoric is vain, and all elaborate oratory contemptible. Even genius itself then feels rebuked and subdued, as in the pres- ence of higher qualities. Then patriotism is eloquent ; then self- devotion is eloquent. The clear conception, outrunning the de- ductions of logic; the high purpose, the firm resolve, the dauntless spirit, speaking on the tongue, beaming from the eye, informing every feature, and urging the whole man onward, right onward to his object; this, this is eloquence, or rather it is something greater and higher than all eloquence ; it is action, noble, sub- lime, godlike action. § 4. The Themes and Circumstances of the Pulpit favorable to the highest Eloquence. Let the above impressive declarations be compared with what is demanded in the Christian pulpit. True eloquence "must exist in the man, in the subject, and in the occasion." The eloquent preacher must be a man of God. In his own breast must dwell those living emotions which he de- sires to transfer to the hearts of others. His subject, although not connected with the rise or fall of na- tions, involves the overwhelming interests of souls that will outlive all the kingdoms and empires of the earth, while it is identified with the dearest interests of the everlasting kingdom of the Son of God. PULPIT ELOQUENCE. 405 The occasion is ever one of imminent concern. It may be the last to the preacher, or the last to the hearer, and upon it eternal interests are ever pending. If such are the essential condi- tions of eloquence they focalize in the pulpit not once in an age, but as often as the faithful minister stands before dying men to proclaim the unsearch- able riches of Christ. It was in view of considerations like these that John Quincy Adams said " the pulpit is especially the throne of modern eloquence," legitimately inferring from his position that it was one of the most solemn and indispensable duties of the minister to qualify himself to sway from that throne the scepter of mind, and thus bring men to the allegiance of the King of kings. Dr. James Dixon recently said : '' Preaching is the effort of the preacher's soul. It is his soul itself, and if the preacher only uses his soul, and has it fur nished with truth and knowledge and religion, he must be a good preacher." Here is a beautiful though undesigned comment upon the idea expressed in the concluding words of the extract from Webster. Neither eloquence nor preaching consist in language, but in that which is higher than all language — in the action of the soul, agitating and elevating the souls of other men. What- ever helps that action, whether the internal working of the soul itself, or its outward expression through words or gestures, is a help to the proper design of the preacher, and whatever hinders that design is a clog upon the wheels of eloquence. I)r. Skinner has a paragraph to the same effect : Eloquence is not from knowledge or thinking merely, but from sympathy, from lively emotion, from light within, which burns 4:06 PULPIT ELOQUENCE. while it shines. Eloquence is the frnit of an engagement of the powers and forces of the mind m a business operation, an aflair of action directed to an immediate object. Interest is its law", its spring, its life ; other things being equal, the livelier the inter- est the higher the strain of eloquence. The preacher should as much as possible be impassionated by the subject ; should put bimself wholly into it, so as to be able to give himself to Lis hearers in and with his discourse. A modern writer has said : Of all the musical instruments on which men play, a popular assembly is that which has the largest compass and variety, and out of which, by genius and study, the most wonderful effects can be drawn. An audience is not a simple addition of the in- dividuals that compose it. Their sympathy gives them a certain social organism, which fills each member in his own degree, and most of all the orator, as a jar in a battery is charged with the whole electricity of the battery. No one can survey the face of an excited assembly without being apprised of new oppor- tunity for painting in fire human thought, and being agitated to agitate.* Under these suggestive figures let the mi lister of Christ again behold the glory of his ofiice, and let liim resolve that if God ever allows him again to play on that " harp of a thousand strings " he will endeavor to make melody in every heart to the Lord. If ever again permitted to be the organ of communication between the sources of heavenly influence and tho consciences of men he will first seek to be "endued with power from on high," that he may by the con- tact of expression impart that power to others — first be permeated with a pure flame of love from the Spirit of God, that he may kindle a similar flame in the breasts of others, inscribing on their very souls the image of Jesus. The glorious truths he is sent to proclaim, the mo- * Atlantic Mct.Uily, Sept., 1858. rULPIT ELOQUENCE. 407 . tivcs drawn from tlirce worlds wlilcli His theme and the ^ . , . circumstanecs. lu'crc liim to iiistaiit and dccisivG action, the sacredness of the divine commission, and the fear- ful jeopardy of perishing men, all crowd upon him with an inspiration unknown to secular oratory, and leave him no excuse for tameness or dry formality. The pure and hallowed associations of the house of God are also favorable to the results which a minister should hope to accomplish. Although even in the sanctuary he will have to encounter the enmity of the heart against God, yet it will not be without the accompanying strivings of the Holy Spirit. Besides, in every man's conscience he has a coadju- tor to the work he hopes to accomplish, and, according to Dr. Griffin, "it may be relied on as an everlast- ing maxim that the eloquence best fitted to thrill the heart of a philosopher is that whicli melts a child." Let not the minister of God's truth then be dis- couraged by any apparently untoward circumstances, but le't him fully understand that if he is the man God will give him the subject and the occasion, and divinely appointed aid for the most noble employ- ment of human speech ever allotted to mortals. Self-conviction is the sonl of all eloquence. And what a.e all the objects which ever elicited the fervid eloquence of soldier or patriot compared with those vast, august, and dread realities which swim before the eye and crowd upon the heart of the minister of Christ? Convinced of these, he ascends the pulpit, Denr'ing under the burden of the Lord, and like the apostle, even weeping as he tells his hearers they are the enemies of the crosa of Christ His own spiritual experience has left no indistinct- ness in his mental perceptions. There is nothing vague or un- certain, nothing obscure or unintelligible in the speech of ^such B one He presses earnestly toward his object. His heart a d©- 408 PULPIT ELOQUENCE.. sire is that his hearers may be saved. The power of that inwurd eraotiou he cannot conceal. Chains cannot bind it. Mountains cannot bury it. It thaws through the most icy habits. It bursts from the lip. It speaks from the eye. It modulates the tone. It pervades the manner. It possesses and controls the whole man. He is seen to be in earnest ; he convinces ; he persuades.* Here, then, is the philosophy of pulpit eloquence. A man believes, and therefore speaks. If he speaks well he transfers to the bosoms of others the emotions that glow in his own ; men being so constituted that right expressions of truth and emotion produce upon them an influence almost irresistible. • Rev. W. Adams, in Biblical Repository, 1842. ELEMENTS OF POWER. 409 CHAPTER XX. CONDITIONS AND ELEMENTS OF POWER IN THE PULPIT. From the views presented in the last chapter, it is evident that eloquence alone is not a guaranty of Buccess in preaching, although it is a powerful auxil- iary, and one which is to be earnestly coveted and diligently sought. It is now proposed to consider a subject of still greater importance by asking, What are the elements and conditions of power in the pulpit? There is a great difference between the form and the power of preaching. The former is easy and, to a certain ex- tent, desirable. The latter is more difficult, but of indispensable importance. Many content themselves with the form. Few covet the power with sufficient anxiety. Granting that there will ever be a diversity of tal- ents and of administrations in the sacred office, there are certain combinations of equal importance to all. The present theme is one of vast magnitude, but its fundamental principles have been so fully elaborated in the foregoing chapters that it only seems neces- sary in this to present a comprehensive summary. The following enumeration of elements and condi- tions is not made in the idea of exhausting the sub- ject, but rather in hope of suggesting its prominent features. 1. Strong and clear conceptions of the magnitude Q/nd dignity of the 'preacher'^ s work may he regarded 410 STRONG CONCEPTIONS. as a jprimary condition of poioer in the performance of it. No man who cliooses the ministry as a theater for professional display, or enters the priest's office for a morsel of bread, can ever expect to rise to a just conception of its higher glories. He who would attain not only to such a conception, but to its demon- stration before God and man, must set before his mind continually the greatness of his high calling, which is of God in Christ Jesus, not allowing it to be regarded as secondary to any earthly dignity. In- deed, he should magnify his office as one divinely appointed to promote the moral welfare of men and nations, and transcending in the greatness of its de- sign all human offices. It conduces primarily to the spiritual good of immortal souls, and ultimately to the consummation of God's great plans for the establish- ment of the Redeemer's kingdom. To be sent forth to preach the Gospel is to be appointed embassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech men by us to be reconciled to himself. This office too, when faith- fully performed, is destined to be crowned with the glories of eternity. Souls rescued from sin and death will be its immortal trophies. It will be forever identified with the destined victories of the cross and with the ultimate overthrow of Satan's kingdom. If the patriot in the hour of battle needs to inflame his courage by thoughts of his country's weal, so should leaders in Christ's militant host think often of the sacred interests of the Church, for which the Redeemer shed his precious blood, and thus be quickened to the most self-denying efi'orts. 2. A love for his worh. Through whatever agony of soul a man may have reached the conviction of a personal duty to preach the Gospel, when that con- viction is reached he should press it to liis heart of LOVE AND DILIGENCE. 411 Iiearts. He has no riglit to go about the work of preaching the glorious Gospel complainingly or like a driven slave. He should make it his delight and his constant joy. 3. He should show this love ly diligence^ zeal, and faithfulness in the work itself. By such means he will gain an ever-increasing fitness for the holy office, and an augmented power for the discharge of its du- ties. The most diligent and thorough preparation will become habitual to him, and instead of his mate- rial being exhausted by use, he will find it to spring up, both in his mental conception and his religious experience, with increasing volume and freshness as he employs for God's glory that which has flowed from the same fountain before. As he becomes the spiritual adviser of his flock, and learns, by visiting the poor and the distressed, and mingling in scenes of sickness, death, and mourning, how bitter is the cup of human sorrow, he will become more than ever qualified to administer the consolations of true relig- ion. And when similar afllictions come upon himself and those to whom he is bound by strong ties of affection, if faithful to his calling and the grace given to sustain him in it, his ministry will be tinged with deeper shades of meaning and a holier power of influ- ence. As he becomes more deeply interested in pro- moting the salvation of men, not only will themes multiply for his choice, but rich and heavenly mate- rial will aggregate around them, conducing to a treatment more practical and powerful than is possi- ble in mere theoretic study. 4. Preaching must le the great lusiiiess of all who would wield the povKr of the pidpit. It must not bo gecondary to teaching, to authorship, to philosophical Rtudy, to science, nor, in fact, to anything. Many 4:12 DISCRETION. other good objects may come in as its auxiliarieSj bat wbeuever any one usurps priority of attention it will be at the expense of pulpit power. Facts show that but few men have been greatly celebrated or useful aa preachers who did not, at least at the time of their success, make preaching their one great business. 5. An important element of success in preaching is the purpose and habit of mahing everything subservi- ent to the grand object of the preacher's life. As this topic has been alluded to under the head of special preparation, it here requires only the addi- tional remark that a minister should not only endeavor to turn his observation, experience, reading, and study to present account in preaching, but to accumulate from the same sources stores of material for future use. A classified record, particularly of his pastoral experiences, may in the course of years become ex- ceedingly valuable as a means of illustration to Gospel truth, while some systematic notation of the facts which his reading has accumulated will place at his instant disposition much material which long and special study might fail to secure. 6. Discretion in the choice and adaptation of sub jects to promote the moral welfare of hearers. In preaching it is important to say the right thing at the right time and in the right way. Opportuni- ties for doing good once passed are gone forever; but rightly improved, become helps for each succeed- ing opportunity. In the earlier part of a minister's career he can only act upon theory ; but if he is care- ful to observe the effect of his communications and of his manner he will soon gain increased confidence in right efibrts and augmented power in the applica- tion of truth. As it is impossible to be eloquent in any important sense on trivial subjects, so it is impos- GOSPEL THEMES. 413 eible to wield tlie power of the pulpit without seizing npon those great and sublime topics which God has designed to be the means of rousing men's consciences, and of stirring within them fears and hopes with ref- erence to their immortal destiny. In the conclusion of his work on the natural and supernatural, Bush- nell has a fine paragraph which corroborates this view: Preaching deals appropriately in the supernatural, publishing to guilty souls what has come into the world from above the world — Christ and his salvation. We ask how often, with real sadness, Whence the remarkable impotence of preaching in our time? It is because we concoct our gospels too much in the laboratories of our understanding; because we preach too many disquisitions, and look for effects correspondent only with the natural forces exerted. Sure preaching is a testimony ; it offers not things reasoned in any principal degree, but things given, supernatural things, testifying them as being in their power by an utterance which they fill and inspire. It brings new premises, which of course no argument can create, and therefore speaks to faith. And, what is most of all peculiar, it assumes tlie fact, in men, of a religious nature, higher than a mere thinking nature, which, if it can be duly awakened, cleaves to Christ and his sal- vation with an almost irresistible affinity. Hence it is that so many infidels have been converted under preaching that went directly by their doubts, only bringing up the mighty themes of God and salvation, and throwing them in as torches into the dark, blank cavern of their empty heart. They are not put upon their reason, but the burning glow of their inborn affinities for the divine are kindled, and the blaze of these overtops their speculations and scorches them down by its glare. Doubtless there are times and occasions when something may be gained by raising a trial before the understanding. But there may also be something lost even in cases where that kind of issue is fairly gained. Many a time nothing is wanting but to speak as to a soul already hungry and thirsty, or if not consciously so, ready to hunger and thirst as soon as the bread and water of life are presented. No man is a preacher because he has something like or about a Gospel in his head. He really preaches only when 414: AN AIM BEYONL SUCCESS. his person is the living embodiment, the inspired organ, of the Gospel; in that manner no mere human power, but the demon- stration of a christly and divine power. It is in this manner that preaching has had, in former times, effects so remarkable. In this manner only can its grand and glorious ideal be realized at the present time and in the future. 7. There must he in every case a higher aim than mere success as estimated hy man. There is danger of setting up standards of external progress with which to be satisfied, rather than aim- ing supremely and constantly at the salvation of souls and the glory of God, whether encouraged by appar- ent success or not. ^Nq should be jealous of the ap- plause of men, and should labor to secure the honor that comes down from God. We should trample in the dust the ambition of preaching sermons to be admired, and exalt our aims to the more worthy aspiration of winning souls to Christ as often as we open our lips in his name. 8. A holy life and an influential Christian example^ Without these our best sermons will pass for decla- mation, and those who hear them will retort upon us, *' Physician, heal thyself." With these our very life will be eloquent, and even an imperfect or halting speech will be owned of God. In equal manner and to a corresponding degree will the highest capacities and the noblest attainments be blessed from on high as chosen agencies of pulpit power. 9. The sjnrit and practice of deep devotion. Here is the sacred fountain from wliich our best thoughts and holiest emotions must flow. Here we must bring the richest trophies of our own study and our imagination to be consecrated as upon God's altar, and to be baptized as with the dews of heav- enly inspiration. Having secured this precious bap« (HWS ±>LESS1NG. 415 tism, our hearts will overflow, and our lips will become a fountain of blessing to others. 10. The hlcssmg and imetlon of the Holy One. " Without me," says Christ, " ye can do nothing." But he enables his faithful apostle to say, " I can do all thino-s throuo-h Christ which streno-theneth me." The outpouring of the Holy Ghost and the gift of tongues of fire were simultaneous bestowments of God upon his Church ; and while the former remains, the latter in its most important spiritual sense will not be wanting. O that every minister of the Lord Jesus might in every sermon experience the support and guidance of this assisting grace ! By such means only can he attain the full measure of that power which the Master of assemblies waits to manifest through him for the salvation of perishing men. 416 ERRONEOUS VIEWS. CHAPTER XXI. DIVINE ASSISTANCE IN PREACHING. ERRONEOUS VIEWS. Two classes of error prevail witli respect to the Bubject of divine assistance in preaching the Gospel. Some seem to suppose that if a man is truly pious, and has a call from God to preach, he has onlj to open his mouth and it will be filled with arguments. Yiews of this class lead to indolence, if not to pre- sumption. On the other hand, some persons reject the idea of special divine assistance, and teach the minister to depend wholly upon his own powers and exertions, and the general favor and providential blessing of the Lord. The truth lies between these extremes. It is no more difficult for the Almighty to supply the assist- ance needed by his servants in special than in general forms. All Christian men, of course, acknowledge their dependence upon God for the capacity to speak at all. But as they enjoy this in common with other men, some inquire doubtfully whether they are to expect anything more than the ordinary gifts of life and health and reason. The position assumed in this chapter is that special divine aid should be sought, and may be expected as often as a Christian minister attempts to preach the Gospel. It may not be possible to define precisely in what AID NECESSARY. 4-17 ^rm or de-ree this aid is received ; and yet it is or may be a positive influeiice-wliat no lawyer or polit- ical speaker is authorized to expect-enlightening the mmd warming the heart, guiding the judguient, and even invigorating the physical frame, especially giv- inc; fluency to the tongue. The proposition announced may be established l)y three classes of arguments, based on the nature ot the case, the Holy Scriptures, and the experienco of devout men in different ages of the Church. s 1 The Nature of the Work renders Special ^ Assistance from God highly probable. 1. It is God's work that the minister is sent to do. 2* The work is great and difficult. 3*. Man's unaided strength is inadequate to its risiht performance. ^ ^x. ""Who," said the apostle, "is sufficient for these thinc^s?" 3 Cor. ii, 16. A few verses following he adds- "Not that we are sufficient of oursdves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament." „ ^ , r^^ - Now if it be admitted that the call of the Clms- t;an minister is truly divine, and for an object worthy of the divine solicitude ; that the minister needs help and that God is able to bestow it, is it not an una- voidable inference that the minister may receive a„d ought specially to seek the very assistance tha e L!ds? But this question is not to be rega ded merely in the light of probabilities. Let us, the.e- fore, consider the light thrown upon it by the Scrip- tures. 2^ 418 AID PKOMISED. § 2. The Scriptuees make it certain that Assistance will be given. Tlie Old Testament abounds in expressions which indicate that the Spirit of God was given to aid min- isters of religion, and especially the priests and proph- ets of the Jewish dispensation. As an example I quote lumbers xi, 25, 26 : " And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, (Moses,) and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders : and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad : and the spirit rested upon them ; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle : and they prophesied in the camp." Also, 2 Sam. xxiii, 1, 2 : " David the son of Jesse said, . . . and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, TJie Spirit of the Lord spake hy une^ and his word was in my tongue y Job said, xxxii, 8 : " There is a spirit in man : and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them under- standing." Ezekiel said, xi, 5 : " The spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me. Speak; Thus saith the Lord." This last expression may be considered the formula of prophetic utterance. Such passages fully prove the bestowment of di- vine aid upon religious teachers among the Jews, without indicating any reason why it may not be equally granted under the Christian dispensation. The testimony of the Scriptures, with reference to AID PROMISED. 419 Bpiritual aid for the Christian ministry, may be di- vided into five classes : 1. Indirect promises. 2. Direct promises. .^. Prayers for such aid. 4. Acknowledgment of divine aid. 5. Incidental proofs that it was sought and re- ceived by the apostles. In this chapter it is only necessary to give speci- men texts. 1. Indirect promises. James i, 5, 6 : " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothinc^ waverino;." Remarks. Wisdom is specially needed in preach- ing the "Word, and may be most appropriately asked for in faith. Under this head might be quoted all the numerous promises which pledge the divine aid in our formation of a Christian character. Every part of that character becomes auxiliary to preaching, and we are authorized to ask God for special grace according to our responsibilities. This special assurance was given to Paul when praying for a removal of the thorn in the flesh. 2 Cor. xii, 9 : " My grace is sufficient for thee." He also appears in the following passage to have referred to divine assistance in preaching, as gener- ally provided for in the economy of grace. Epli. iii, 20, 21 : " Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in zis^ unto him be glory in the church of Christ Jesus." 2. The first direct proinise to be quoted is that of tlie Saviour himself, which is coupled with the apoa- 420 AID PROMISED. tollc commission and a part of the sarjio. Matthew xxviii, 19, 20 : " Go ye therefore, and teach all na- tions . . . and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." As preaching was the great business of the apos- tle-s, to whom Christ's presence was promised, thev certainly were authorized to expect his aid in T^reaching. The several evangelists repeat Christ's promise of aid to those of his disciples who should in persecu- tion be arraigned before governors and kings for his sake. Matthew x, 19, 20 : '' It shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you." Luke xii, 12 : " For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." Luke xxi, 15 : " For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." Tiiese passages are not quoted as wholly applicable to the subject of preaching. There was a wide and characteristic difference between the defense of the persecuted disciples and their free declaration of the Gospel. Yet the aid promised in the one case is precisely what is needed and may be expected in certain conditions of the other. But direct help in preaching was also specially promised by our Lord just prior to his ascension. Acts i, 8: ^'But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." AID ACKNOWLEDGED. 421 3. Prayers for aid. Eph. vi, 18, 19 : " Praying always with all prayer," etc. "And for me, that utterance may be given unto jne, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel." Col. iv, 3 : " Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds." 4. Achnowledgments of aid. Luke more than once intimates that the Saviour himself was aided in preaching and giving command- ments to his disciples by the Holy Ghost. The apostles make repeated acknowledgment of similar influence. Paul said. Acts xxvi, 22 : " Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great," etc. 1 Cor. ii, 13: "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth ; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." 2 Cor. xii, 9, 10 : " Most gladly therefore w411 1 rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. . . . For when I am weak, then am I strong." CoL i, 28, 29: "Whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom ; that we may present every man per- fect in Christ Jesus : whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." 2 Tim. iv, 17: "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me ; that by mo the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." 5. Other jproofs that such aid was giveii to tJie Q/postles generally. Mark xvi, 20 : " And they went forth, and preached 422 PROOFS OF AID GIVEN. everywhere, the Lord working with them, and con- firming the word with signs following." Acts ii, 4: "And they were all filled with tho Holy Ghost, and began to speak with ether tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts iv, 8: "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them," etc. Acts vi, 10 : " And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he (Stephen) spake." 1 Peter i, 12 : " Unto us they did (the prophets) minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." The argument from the foregoing examples is plain and conclusive. Did the apostles receive divine aid in preaching ? So may we, having the same work and the like pre- cious promises. Did they pray for this great blessing? So should we in faith believing, and receiving answer to our prayers, should gratefully acknowledge thfi favor bestowed. § 3. Experience of Devout Ministers. The experience of devout ministers in all ages of the Church shows that similar aid may still be ex- pected, and should be sought for by all who hope to preach the Gospel efi'ectively. 1. The best of ministers have felt and often ex pressed their sense of need of the divine aid in their great work. TLis appears from numerous examples of ministe- rial autobiography. 2. Such men have frequently acknowledged their consciousness of having received help from God both in the study and preaching of his holy word. MINISTERIAL EXPERIENCE. 423 This fact also is so familiar to tlie readers of minis- terial biography that space will not be taken for examples. In addition to these ordinary experiences, there have not been wanting cases in which the sermon prepared by the faithful minister has been entirely displaced from his mind, and another one given to him, apparently for some important special purpose. "While it would not be difficult to produce proofs of this position from every prosperous period of the history of the Church, the following, from the recently published life of the Eev. Dr. Bangs, will suffice as representative statements of the experience of intelli- gent and devoted ministers in reference to special di- vine aid in preaching. The first extract describes the very beginning of that great and good man's career as a preacher when he was yet anxious, if not doubtful, respecting his di- vine call to the holy ministry. I was up e^rly on Sunday morning and earnestly prayed for divine aid. My mind was sorely oppressed, and in family prayer I was much bound in spirit, and wished I had not undertaken the task. The principal part of the time after rising from my bed till the hour appointed for the meeting I spent upon my knees. I felt burdened with an insupportable lojtd, and my mind was shrouded in darkness. I finally besought God that if he had called me to preach, he would be pleased to open my mouth, and bless me and the people with the consolation of his spirit ; but if he had not called me, he would shut my mouth, and I would return home and try no more. After coming to this conclusion 1 was tranquil, and awaited the result with resignation. The people assembled, and after singing and prayer, I no sooner opened my mouth than the Lord filled it with words and argu- ments ; the Scriptures seemed like a fruitful field before me. The word of God was like fire in my bones, and its utterance wa? attended with the " Holy Ghost and with power." I felt as if I were in the very suburbs of the heavenly Jerusalem, and the 424: CONSCIOUSNESS OF AID. people of God were refreshed as with new wine. The Lord ib deed answered " as by fire from heaven.*' A few years later he writes : I then read for my text, " Repent ye therefore, and be con verted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of re^ freshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." In explaining and enforcing these words, I felt that my divine Master was with me in truth and power ; every cloud was dispelled from my mind, and my heart overflowed with love for these people. I believe I preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. ITearly fifty years later he makes the following records : August 4, 1851. While speaking the Lord filled my heart with his love, and put words and arguments into my mouth of which I had not thought before, and they appeared to go like fire through the assembly. It was a time of refreshing from the presence of God. While preaching my heart expanded with enlarged views of the goodness of God, and my tongue was un- loosed to speak, I cannot but believe, in the Holy Ghost with much assurance. O how good is the Lord to me ! September 23. I had a blessed time in preaching Sabbath morning on the influence of the Holy Spirit. It seemed as if the fire of His inspiration came down upon me while speaking, and upon the assembly while listening, so that we were abundantly refreshed and strengthened, and felt as if we could go on our way rejoicing. I am deeply humbled under a consciousness of my utter un worthiness before God, and often wonder how it is that he condescends so abundantly to bless and comfort me. It is not surely for my sake, but for Christ's sake, and for the sake of his people whom he loves, and to whom he sends me to minis- ter, that he pours the riches of his grace into my poor heart. The point of union hetween natural effort and supernatural aid is doubtless that of the full exer- tion of our natural powers first and preparatory to the assistance we need. The gracious provisions of divine aid are not to bo POINT OF UNION. 425 presumed upon as a matter of routine or for tlie en- couragement of indolence, but only to be expected when human effort has done its full work, and prayer and faith have brought God's blessing upon it. The truth indeed has a certain inherent power, which it often exerts when indifferently uttered ; but the preaching of the Gospel requires the full native force of truth applied with the highest human skill, and attended by the power of the Divine Spirit. This glorious combination every humble, faithful, and diligent minister may hope to attain Qiorious comw- often, if not regularly, in his own experi- ^^^^°^ ence. According to his labor and his faith it will doubtless be to him. As with reference to other mysteries of the Spirit of God, it is doubtless impos- sible to explain, or even fully comprehend, the man- ner of this divine and hallowed influence. But, as in all cases of religious experience, we are most concerned with the fact. The fact being provided for in the economy of grace, it is not limited to time ; and those who would exercise an apostolic ministry must, with ardent sup- plications and self-denying labors, strive to realize it themselves, and hand it down to generations follow- i/ig both by precept and example. 426 PUBLIC PEAYEB. CHAPTER XXII. PUBLIC PRAYER AS A BRANCH OF PULPIT SERVICE. It is impossible to overrate the responsibility of ministers in reference to a right conduct of the devo- tions of the sanctuary. 'No earthly act is more solemn than that of a whole assembly worshiping God. In Ministerial re- ^^^^ ^^^5 ^^ usually conductcd in Christian Bponsibiiity, temples, the minister becomes a leader to the people. How gross the error if he lead them astray from the fount of blessings ! How delightful the privilege if he lead them to the very throne of the heavenly grace ! Ill-conducted public prayer is a stumbling-block and an offense to the pious, and a source of scoffing to the ungodly. Well-conducted, it softens the heart of the obdurate, quickens the re- ligious sensibilities of believers, and kindles pure flames of devotion in their souls. In offering public prayer the minister rises to his highest representative capacity. It therefore behooves him to guard carefully against every species of fault which might mar the influence of his devotional ut- terances, and to cultivate every excellence which might contribute to the religious edification of his people, or conduce to the nearness of his own ap- proaches to God. The idea of the great solemnity of public worship gave rise to the use of liturgies, and is the principal argument for their continued us/;. Within a certain limit, as that of fixed occasionfl FAULTS OF PUBLIC PRAYER. 427 ftomewhat rarely occurring, the argument is valid; but when extended beyond that limit it leads to a tautology and a stiiFness widely at variance with the adaptation and holy freedom which ought to charac- terize the worship of the living God whether in public or in private. Without pausing to discuss the propriety or even the right use of liturgical forms, the present chapter will be devoted to extemporaneous prayer, which it will assume to be the normal mode of worship. It will present briefly, 1. Certain defects to be avoided ; 2. The leading qualities essential to excellence; and, 3. Suggest the means to be em- ployed for the attainment of excellence in this •mportant exercise. § 1. Faults of Public Prayer. In this holy engagement anything is a fault which tiinders the attainment of its appropriate object as a means of communion between man and his Maker, tt is deemed unnecessary here to enumerate those moral impediments which debar access to God and make prayer a mockery. It is assumed that the minister has a right heart and pure intentions. But even with these it is possible for him seriously to err, 1. As to the use of the voice. A common fault is indistinctness, especially at the commencement. Skill is necessary in giving to the voice a right pitch, so that all may hear distinctly, and yet so that there may be room to rise and fall with the progress of the prayer. Medium pitch or the natural key of the voice is ordinarily that which answers these purposes. Op- posite to low indistinctness is the fault of too great louduess, which jars upon the nerves of the sensitive, and destroys all those tender and solemn intonations which are the true promptings and expression of de- 4:28 MANNER AND SPIRIT. votional feelings. Monotony and inflexibility, wlie tlier on a high or a low key, beget somnolence, and are at variance with that life and devout energy which ought to characterize public worship. 2. As to matter. Whatever is didactic or narra- tive has no proper place in prayer, and yet some ministers make, in what they call prayers, long and prosy statements of facts and principles, as though God, to whom their speech is addressed, needed in- struction.* The proper topics of prayer are so varied and so easily apprehended that there seems no apol- ogy for either irrelevance or sameness, and yet these both are common faults. Irrelevance may result not merely from the introduction of improper topics, but from the disproportionate use of some to the exclusion especially of petition or supplication, which should ever be the burden of the prayer of suppliants. Sameness may result not only from identity of lan- guage, but from iteration of thought and from an invariable order. 3. As to manner and spirit. Whatever in the utterance of prayer is out of harmony with the spirit of meekness and humble dependence on Almighty God is highly offensive. It hardly need be said that haughty airs, pert expressions, insensibility to sacred * I once knew a member of one of our presbyteries who, when called upon to make the ordaining prayer at the solemnity of setting apart a minister to the sacred office, went back to the beginning of time, traced the progress of civil and ecclesiastical society, alluded to the various plans of electing and ordaining the officers of the Church all along down through the patriarchal and ceremonial dispensations, and tv^ length, after tiring out every worshiper with the tediousness of his deduction, he came to the New Testament dispensation, and made about one quarter part of his inordinately long prayer really adapted to the occasion on which he was called to officiate. During a large part of the time occupied by this prayer his hands, as well as the hands of his fellow-presbyters, were pressing on the head of the candidate, to the great discomfort of all. — Dr. Miller on Public I^ayer, LENGTH OF PRAYERS. .. 429 tilings, or a straining after rhetorical effect, are greatly out of place in an act of worsliip. 4. As to language. Coarseness and grammatical inaccuracies on the one hand, and studied ornament or rhapsodies on the other, are serious faults. Also the unnecessary repetition of phrases, such as "we beseech thee," " O," and " O Lord," etc., etc. All colloquialisms and trivialities of expression are to be avoided, and equally the language of compliment ; as when a preacher prays for the highly respectable and vntelligent audience he is about to address, or when he invokes a blessing upon the very eloquent sermon to which they have listened ! 5. To the foregoing faults may be added that of too great length. The Scriptures are specific in con- demning long prayers, and especially those which are offered for a pretense or a formality. Tediousness in any form of speech is wearisome, but especially in an exercise of devotion, tending to dissipate pious feel- ings and induce languor. Mr. Wesley at an early day enjoined upon his preachers not to pray extem- pore more than eight or ten minutes at most without intermissions, and this rule still is highly appro- priate. It would be an ungrateful, perhaps an impractica- ble task to even classify all the faults which have been known to mar public prayer. The present topic may therefore be concluded by a few miscel- laneous remarks. Beyond assuming the appropriate posture of humil- ity, which is to kneel before our Maker, gesture should be avoided. The eyes should not be open, either in a vacant stare or gazing about upon the people, but reverently closed, as beholding Him who is invisible. It is, moreover, a serious fault in a minister not to 430 DESIRABLE QUALITIES. induce, by suitable instructions and example, orderly and reverent habits of public worship. IS'othing short of actual disorder is more unseemly than the practice of standing or sitting upright and gazing to and fro when the Deity is addressed. Yet hundreds of people adopt that habit through the sim- ple lack of instruction as to the nature of worship and the appropriate modes of participating in it. §2. Qualities Essential to Excellence. As to manner and spirit every public prayer should be characterized by solemnity, fervor, and dignity, accompanied by the earnestness of faith, hope, and love, and crowned by the influence of the Holy Ghost helping our infirmities. As to matter, it should be rich in the appropriate topics of worship, suitably varied in arrangement, and specifically adapted to times, circumstances, and oc- casions. Adoration, confession, petition, and other kindred elements of prayer can never be irrelevant to public worship, but they do not need to be intro- duced always in the same rotation. They should in every instance be modified so as to express definitely the sentiments of the worshipers. It may be easy to confess the sins of other men, but God requires us to confess our own. Human wants are so numerous and so pressing that after suitable consideration the chief task of the minister will be that of a judicious selection and arrangement. His aim should be to set forth with clearness, but without detailed minute- ness, the necessity of individuals and classes in refer- ence to things temporal and spiritual, the present life and the life to come. Aside from the specific wants of the worshiping assembly, according to apostolic exhortation, "supplications, prayers, intercessions AIDS TO EXCELLENCE. 431 and giving of tlianks should be made for rulers, kings, and for all that are in authorit}^ that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." As to language, unaffected simplicity should pre- vail, hallowed by that lofty reverence which indicates a just sense of the reality of human access to God. For the sake of brevity, other good qualities will be incidentally noted under the following head. § 3. Meaks of Attaining Excellence in Public Peayer. 1. Every minister should acquire a good under- standing of the general nature and the various ele- ments or parts of prayer, such as invocation, adora- tion, thanksgiving, supplication, etc. To this end it is well to peruse such standard treatises on prayer as those of "VVatts, Henry, Bickersteth, Treffry, Entwis- le, and Miller. As the subject is not difficult, but highly congenial to every pious mind, any one of the treatises named ought to be sufficient to enable a per- son to comprehend it, and yet frequent reading of these books will hardly fail to be profitable. 2. A great familiarity with Scripture expressions, and a capacity to use them appropriately in extem- poraneous prayer. In addresses to the Deity no language can be more suitable than that of Scripture. The words of inspi- ration are characterized by a dignity, an expressive- ness, and an unction infinitely superior to the phrases and adornments of human rhetoric. Although the Bible contains but few examples of formal prayer, yet it abounds in devotional expres- liions, and with statements of sacred truth that with a 432 SCRIPTURAL LANGUAGE. slight paraplirase may be adapted to the uses of public or private worship. For this purpose they have been employed in ages past, and their adaptation to it will Memorization i^Gvor diminish. Few acquisitions are of of Scripture, greater importance than the memorization of an ample selection of passages of the divine word in close association with the various attributes of God, the character and necessities of men, the leading features of the plan of salvation, and the glorious provisions of the Gospel of grace. Indeed, all Scripture given by inspiration of God is not only profitable for doc- trine, for reproof, and for instruction in righteousness, but also for the assistance of man in offering accepta- ble worship. Hence no man of God can be considered thoroughly furnished for the good work of leading the devotions of a public assembly who cannot quote with facility and appropriateness great numbers of passages of Scripture. Such an ac- quisition, even apart from direct quotations, will tend to impregnate the devotional style of a minister with a befitting scriptural character. The best liturgies that have come down to us from past ages glow with sacred phrases and imagery, and it is in the power of every minister by study and effort to cause his prayers to partake of the same characteristics, and thus exert a most elevating influence on the religious feelings of others. In few respects does the divinity of the sacred volume appear more striking than in its wonderful adaptation to express the changing sen- timents and feelings of the human heart. And as its teachings are familiar to all Christian people, there is no other language so well adapted to aid in arousing the solemn reflections, the adoring gratitude, and the immortal hopes of a worshiping congregation. The classification and paraphrase of Scripture PRIVATE DEVOTION. 433 ander the various heads of prayer given in the Ap pendix * is designed to suggest the manner in which ministers may quote inspired language in their pub- lic devotions. It is after the manner of Bishop Wilkins, as developed in his " Gift of Prayer," pub- lished in 1690, and may be enlarged to any desirable extent. 3. A deep personal piety, cultivated by habitual private devotion. This, which is so important as an aid to preaching, is indispensable for the edifying conduct of public prayer. In such an exercise talent 5s of little avail, unsanctified by grace and the spirit of holiness ; but in reference to the duty of public worship, the precept and promise of our Saviour have a special application. "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in secret sh'ill reward thee openly." Matt, vi, 6. Only he who by earnest and heartfelt intercourse with Go'l has learned the language of divine com- munion ->an possibly offer prayer to the edification of others. 4. Meditation. Special preparation for this exer- cibc w as appropriate as for preaching. It may be Becur'^d by Scripture study and meditation, by means of which the devotional aspects of subjects are brought vividly before the mind. It may also be secured by devotional reading and composition. The former brings the mind in unison with the experience of the devout, and often stimulates it to a higher and holier activit3\ The latter is specially important, not as a means of accumulating fine and polished expressions, but as an agency for detecting redundancies, framing the style, and developing continuous and appropriate * See Appendix D. 28 4:34: PEIVATE DEVOTION. devotional thought. It is no less to be commended as a means of improvement in private than in public prayer. Without at least an occasional resort to the discipline of careful writing there is danger of falling into a monotonous routine, as unfriendly to personal improvement in piety as to the proprieties of an ele- vated devotional style. It would be easy to multiply suggestions upon a subject so vitally important, but they would only be of the same tenor of much that has been heretofore suggested as auxiliary to ministerial success. What- ever elevates a man in the likeness of his Maker, whatever brings him into closer spiritual relations with the Author and Finisher of faith, will qualify him better both to dispense the word of life to others, and to lead the devotions of Christian worshipers. APPENDIX. APPENDIX A. SCHOLASTIC LITERATURE OF HOMILETICS. Twelfth Centuet. — Guibert de Nogen% an abbot, who died ia 1124, left behind him a treatise on the proper method of making a sermon. The most important ideas it contains are the following: 1. The preacher should exercise his talent as often as prac- ticable. 2. He should never ascend the pulpit without prayer. 3. He should, above all things, be short, and rather dwell on practical than on dogmatical subjects. This idea he enforces by exhorting preachers to remember how- much better it is that a few things should be heard with pleasure and retained, than that out of a multitude nothing should be carried away. He also remarks that some in his day renounced preaching, from the fear of vainglory and the dread of being called ser- moners and ventriloquists. From this representative of the twelfth century we come down to the THIRTEENTH, in which we find note of William, Archbishop of Paris, who wrote a meager work entitled Rhetorica Divina ; and Huinbert de Eomanis, a general of the order of St. Dominic. The latter prepared a treatise on the Institution of Religious Preachers, in the second book of which he professes to teach " a way of promptly producing a sermon for any set of men and for every variety of circumstances." It will require no great effort to conjecture the depth and philosophical character of such a treatise. Whatever works appeared on this subject for the next three hundred years were either so valueless or of such obscure author- 438 SCHOLASTIC LITERATURE OF HOMILETICS. ship as not easily to be identified. An exception in the last respect may be made in favor of a compilation made about 1500 by Jolin Reuchlin^ entitled Liber Congestorum de Arte Prcedi- candi, which went through several editions. For our next examples we come down to the days of the liEFORMATioN. That pcriod which so greatly agitated the minds of men on religious subjects, gave rise to numerous productions with reference to preaching. Most of them, however, were brief, and of such moderate ability as to call for no notice at the present day. Next on the list of works known to after years is that of Philip Melancthon, which dates from 1517. It is entitled Ratio Brevissima Concionandi : a Brief Treatise on Preaching. Thb following is a summary of its contents. I. The different parts of a discourse. 1. The exordium, 2. The narration. 3. The proposition. 4. The arguments. 5. Confirmation. 6. Ornaments. 7. Amplification. 8. Confutation. 9. Epilogue. 10. Per- oration. II. Of simple themes, with examples. III. Of complex themes. IV. Of the explanation of different meanings. V. An example of deliberative discourse. Rem. 1. The principal work of a preacher is to instruct. 2. There are two kinds of sermons. (1. Didactic. (2. Demonstrative. 3. On the four senses of Scripture. 4. On method. In 1535 Erasmus wrote a work entitled Bcclesiastes, she CoU' eionator Evangelicus: Ecclesiastes ; or, the Evangelical Preacher, It extended through some 820 pages, quarto, and was divided into four books, as follows : Book I. On the dignity, difficulty, piety, purity, prudence, and other virtues which should be cultivated by the preacher. Book II. On the studies of a preacher, parts of a sermon, etc. Book III. On delivery, metaphor, adaptation, etc. Book IV. On the threefold character of the priesthood ; topics or commonplaces, etc. Appendix. On the mode of prayer. AUTHOKS IN LATIN. 439 Tlie nbove-qiioted works arc justly celebrated. Their authors were learned men, and it may be safely assumed that their treatises on preaching excelled in value any others of their period. That of Melancthon is the most valuable for practical purposes, although that of Erasmus is best known, since, ow- ing to the superior Latin of which the author was master, it has been sometimes prescribed as a text-book in schools and colleges. Both exhibit, with some of the formalities of scholasticism, the awakening power of the new era upon which the world was entering. In 1580 Charles Borromeo^ Bishop of Milan, wrote a tract entitled De Instructione Predicatoris : on the Education of a Preacher. This work, although not celebrated for anything new or remarkable in its contents, represents the reaction in behalf of preaching already taking place in the Roman Catholic Church as a result of tlie Reformation. In 1583 Martin Chemnitz published Methodus Concionandi : a Method of Preaching. Chemnitz was a disciple of Melancthon, and his Methodus was a respectable echo of the Ratio Breinssima of his instructor. He also wrote a work on the Council of Trent, which was much esteemed. B. MODERN AUTHORS ON HOMILETICS. LATIK At the period ot the Reformation, and for a century later European books designed for the learned were written in Latin, then the language of the schools in all countries. A great num- ber of treatises on preaching, both by Protestant and Roman Catholic authors, appeared during the latter part of the sixteenth and the early part of the seventeenth centuries. Those first enumerated will serve as specimens of their titles, their precise date not being known. Hen. Alsted, Theologia Frophetica. Job. Clark, Cratorice Sacrce ZKLaypadla, 440 AUTHORS IN ENGLISH. Lamb. Dansei, Methodvs S. Scripturce in Concionibm IVae tandcB. Bai'th. Keckermaniis, Be RTietorica Ecclesiastica. ^eor. Lfetus, De Ratione Concionandi ad Method. Anglican, Jo. Segobiensis, De PrcBdicatione Eva7igelica. Abra. Schulleti, Axiomata Concionandi. Bishop Wilkins, from whose " Gift of Preaching" the fore- going titles are derived, says: "There are above forty other authors who have writ particularly upon this subject recited by Draudius in his Bihliotheca Classica, under the head of Cojicio- natorum Instructio.''^ On the supposition that they answered a purpose at the time of their issue, we may be content to leave them in their present obscurity, as it is not to be supposed that they contain anything of importance which has not descended to us in other forms. 1620. F. Ben. Ferrarii Mediolensis, Be Ritu Sacrarum (Jon cionum. Libri duo. Mediolani e Collegia Ambrosiana, typ. Gaussen, Be Arte Concionandi. This work Ostervald (Essay, etc., 1700) pronounces "the best extant." He says, "It is a book you should constantly read, and study, and make your pocket companion. Of all the French divines he best understood the defects of the Eeformation." Numerous volumes in Latin, written and compiled by undis- tinguished authors, appeared in Germany during the latter part of the sixteenth and the whole of the seventeenth century ; for example, Ilyperius, 1553; Osiander, 1582; Andrse, 1595; Pweb- han, 1625-; Carpzov, 1666; Baier, 1677. ENGLISH. I. WORKS TEEATING DIRECTLY ON THE SUBJECT OF PREACHING. 1613. V^TXKHiB^^UAAMA^ Art of Prophesying. As this work is one of the most celebrated of its date, and is now extremely rare, the full title is subjoined, with an abstract of its contentsk and a few extracts of striking passages. " Arte of Prophecying, or a treatise concerning the sacred ana onely trve manner & method of preaching. First written in Latin, by Mr. William Perkins, and now faithfully translated into English (for that it contaiueth many worthy things fit for tlie knowledge of men of all degrees) by Thomas Tuke. Motto, Nehomiah viii, 4, 5, 6. Cambridge, 1613." AUTHORS IN ENGLISH. ^-^tl Extrfttt from the dedication : To tlie faithfvll minister of the Gospel : , - . m That common place of divinity which concemeth the framing of sermons is both wciglity and difficult, if there be any other throughout ull that sacred science. Tlie dignitie thereof appeareth m that like a Ladie it is highly mounted and curried aloft in a chariot; whereas all Other gifts, both of tongues and arts, attend on this, like handmaidea iJoofe off. Contents : Chap. I. The Art or faculty of prophecying is a sacred doctrine of exercising Prophecie rightly. II. Of the Preaching of the Word. III. Of the Word of God. IV. Of the interpretation of the Scriptures. V. Of the waies of expounding. VI. Of the right dividing of the Word. VII. Of the waies how to use and apply doctrines. VIII*. Of the kinds of application, either mental or practical. IX. Of memorie in preaching. X. Promulgation or uttering of the Sermon. In this 2 things requisite: 1. The hiding of humttn wm dom ; 2. The demonstration of the Spirit. XI. Of conceiving of prayer. Extract from Chapter ix : Of Memorie in Preaching. Becauee it is the received custom for preachers to speak by heart bo- fore the people something must here be annexed concerning memory. IrSal memorie which standeth upon places and images will very easily without labor teach how to commit sermons: bu it is not to be ZrovTd 1. The animation of the image which is the key of memorie h Lpious : because it requireth absurd, insolent and prod.gious cogita- o^. ^nd tho.e especially which set an edge upon and kindle the most comit affections of the flesh. 2. It dulleth the w.t and memorie, because it requireth a threefold memorie for the one : the first of places, the '^d of the images, the third of the thing to be declared. It is not therefore an unprofitable advice if he that is to preach do ditondy imprint in his mind, by the help of disposition either axiomat- haforsyllogistical or methodical, the several proofs & applications o tlie doctrines, the illustrations of the applications & the order of them J^l:t the meantime nothing carefull of the words which as Hoi.ce Bpeaketh) will not unwillingly follow the matter that is meditated. Verba que pr(ht view of his matter, a true under- Bt:i!idinir his text, and a digesting of his thouglits upon it into their uatural and proper order, to deliver these both more easily to himself, •nd with a belter cllect both upon himself and his hearers. To romc at this, he must be for some years at a great deal of pains to prepa.c him self to it ; yet when that is over, the labor of all the rest of his life, as to these performances, will become very easy and very pleasant to him. The preparations to this must be these. First, he must read the Scrip- tures very exactly; he must have great portions of them by heart; and he must also, in reading tliem, make a short concordance of them in his memory ; that is, he must lay t-igether such passages as belong to the same matter; to consider hoM far they agree, or help to illustrate ono another, and how the same thing is differently expressed in them; and what various ideas or ways of recommending a thing rise out of this concordance. Upon this a man must exercise himself much, di-aw notes of it, and digest it well in his thoughts. Then he must be ready wiih the whole body of divinity in his head ; he must know what parts como in as objections to )e answered, where ditliculties lie, how one part co- heres with another and gives it light. He must have this very current in his memory, that he may have things lie before him in one full view, and upon this he is also to work, by making tables, or using such otlier helps as may lay matters clearly before him. These are the materials that must be laid together; the practice in using them comes n( K.t. He, then, that would prepare himself to be a preacher in this met) od, must accustom himself to talk freely to himself, to let his thoughts i'. jw from him, especially when he feels an edge and heat upon his mind , for then happy expressions will come in his mouth, things will ventilate and open themselves to him, as he talks them thus in a soliloquy to h m^elf. He must also be writing many essays upon all sorts of subje t^, for by writing he will bring himself to a correctness both in thinking "nd in speaking; and thus, by a hard practice lor two or three years, a man may render himself such a master in this matter that he can never be surprised, nor will new thoughts ever dry up upon him. He must talk over to himself the whole body of divinity, and accustom himself to explain and prove, to clear objections, and to apply every part of it to some practical use. He must go through luniian life in all the ranks and degrees of it, and talk over all the duties of these ; consider the advantages or disadvantages in every one of them, their relation to one another, the morality of actions, the common virtues and vices of mankind, more particularly the duties of Christians, their obli- gation to meekness and humility, to forgive injuries, to relieve the poor, to bear the cross, to be patient and contented in every state of life, to pray much and fervently, to rejoice ever in God and to be always prais- ing him, and most particularly to be applying seriously to God, through Jesus ('hrist, for mercy and pardon and for his grace and Spirit; lo be worshiping him devoutly in public, and to be delighting frequently to •oinniemorato the death of Christ and to partake of the benefits of it. 30 iP'G :VIODE OF DELIYEKY. All the?o, I say, lie must talk ovci and over again to hi.nself ; he mnel Biudy to give his thoughts all the heat and flight about them that he can ; and if, in these his meditations, happy thoughts and noble and tender expressions do at any time offer themselves, he must not loso them, but write them down. And in his pronouncing over sucli dis- courses to himself, he must observe what words sound harsh and agree ill together ; for there is a music in speaking as well as in ringing, wl ich a man, though not otherwise critical in sounds, will soon discove:*. By a very few years' practice of two or three such soliloquies a day, chiefly in the morning, when the head is clearest and the spirits are liveliest, a man will contract a great easiness both in thinking and speaking. But the rule I have reserved last is the most necessary of all, and without it all the rest will never do the business. It is this : that a man must have in himself a deep sense of the truth and power of religion ; lie must have a life and flame in his thoughts with relation to those subjects; he must have felt in himself those things which he intends to explain and recommend to others. He must observe narrowly the mo- tions of his own mind, the good and bad effects that the several sorts of objects he has before him, and affections he feels within him, have upon him, that so he may have a lively heat in himself when he speaks of them, and that he may speak in so sensible a manner that it may be al- most felt that he speaks from his heart. There is an authority in the simplest things that can be said when they carry visible characters of genuineness in them. Now, if a man can carry on this method, and by much meditation and prayer draw down divine influences, which are always to be expected when a man puts himself in the way of them and prepares himself for them, he will often feel that " while he is musing a fire is kindled within him," and then he will " speak with authority" and without constraint ; his thoughts will be true, and his expressions free and easy. Sometimes this fire will carry him, us it were, out of himself, and yet without anything that is frantic or cnthusiustieal. Pii,>- courses brought forth with a lively spirit and heat, where a composed gesture, and the proper motions of the eye and countenance, and the due modulations of the voice concur, will have all the effect that can be expected from anytliing that is below immediate inspiration ; and as this will be of use to the hearers, so it will be of vast use to the preacher hii^self, to oblige him to keep his heart always in good tune and temper, not to suffer irregular and forbidden appetites, passions, or projects \o prepossess his mind: these will both divert him from going on in thf course of meditation in which a man must continue many years til! all his thoughts are put in order, polished, and fixed ; they will make him likewise speak much against the grain, with an aversion that will be very sensible to himself, if not to his heare/s, if he has guilt upon hirn, if Ills conscience is reproaching him, and if any ill practices arc putting a damp upon that good sense of things that makes his thoug'-ts sparkle upoij otiier occjvsions, and gives him an air and authority, a tone of assur- ance, and a freedom of ( xpression. Such a method as 1 have been opening has had great suece.sa with all MODE OF DELIVERY. 407 ttiose that I have known to have tried it. And though every one has ^ot hud that swiftness of imagination nor that clearness of expression that othens may have, so that in this men may differ as much as they do in their written compositions, yet every man by this method may riao far above wliat he could ever have attained to any other way ; i* will make even exact compositions easier to him, and him much readier and freer at them. But great care must be used by him befo^'e he suffer!* himself to speak with the liberty here aimed at in public: he must try himself at smaller excursions from his fixed thoughts, especially in tht •pplicatory part, where flame and life are more necessary, and where a mistaken word or an unfinished period are less observed, and sooner forgiven, than i a the explanatory part, where men ought to speak more Berenely. And as one succeeds in some short excursions, he may give himself a farther scope, and so, by a long practice, he will at last arrive at so great an easiness, both in thinking and speaking, that a very little meditation will be sure to lay open a text to him, with all the matter that belongs to it, together with the order in which it ought to be both explained and applied. And when a man has attained to a tolerable degree in this, he is then the master of his business ; he is master also of much time, and of many noble thoughts and schemes that will arise out of them. This I shall prosecute no further; for if this opening of it does not excite the reader to follow it a little, uo enlargements 1 can offer upon it will work upon him. To enable the reader to judge of the practical value of Bishop Burnet's theory as cxemplitied iu liis own character as a preacher, the following scateinent is inserted, from the London Quarterly, of 1857: Bishop Burnet was himself a conspicuous instance of the success of the style of speaking he recommended. Onslow, who was Speaker of the House of Commons for thirty-eight years, who had listened to the splendid declamation of Bolingbroke, to the terrible thunders of Pitt, and the silvery strains of Murray, could not, after an intervtJ of forty years, recall the sermon which Burnet delivered on the " new heavens and the new earth" without being sensibly moved by it. lie describes •with warmth the power of his imagination, the solemnity of his lan- guage, the earnestness of his heart, look, and voice ; and asserts that he never heard a second preacher who equaled him. DR. ISAAC WATTS. Dr. Watts, who flourished among the English riulependenta at the same period with Bishop Burnet, stoutly objects to the reading of sermons. Says he : A paper, with the most pathetic lines written upon it, has noithef fear, nor hope, nor compassion, nor zeal. It is coiscious of no design. 41)8 MODE OF DELIVERY. nor has any solicitude abont its success; and a mere reader, A\iiO coldly telh his people what his paper says, appears to be as void of all these ne( essary qualifications as his paper is. EICIIARD BAXTER. Baxter, another cotemporary of Burnet, lias left behind liim a significantT'aotion on the other hand : A quaker objected to him, " You read your sermons out of a paper, therefore you have not the Spirit." " It is not want of your abilit.'es,'' he rejoins, "that makes ministers use notes ; but it is a regard to the work, and good of the hearers. / use notes as mvch as any man, when 1 taJce pains, and as little as any man when I am lazy, or busy, or have not time to prepare. It is easier for us to preach three sermons without notes, than one with them." 1703. JOHN EDWARDS, D.D. There are several that scandalously confine themselves to their papers, and read them but indifferently after all. A man would think that some of them are but then learning to read, or that they had never seen their notes before that time. This, indeed, is no other than the perverting of the nature of things, for the speaker should look on those he directs his speech to ; wherefore, the custom of those who never look off the book is unnatural and improper. Besides, if a sermon be wholly read, it loses a great deal of its virtue and efficacy, because hereby all laudable action is laid aside, and generally the most ungraceful and shameful postures are taken up, as hanging down their heads and lodging their chins in their breasts. Wherefore I advise my brethren to exercise their talent of memory, and those that are young especially to make use of it at their first undertaking the preacher's office, that so it may become easy to them ever after. 1731. SIR RICHARD BLACKMORE. It is fit to inquire whether it be more useful to read a written dis- course, or bespeak the audience without book. And there are many reasons that should determine us to favor and prefer the last. 175G. PHILIP DODDRIDGE. Dr. Doddridge, in his lectures to Theological Students, sujs. To be able to preach without notes raises a man's character. A:cu8 ^m yourself to look much about upon your auditory. 1758. JOHN LAWSON, D.D. Lawson, a celebrated lecturer on oratory in Trinity College. Dublin, in 17oS, pi-onuunces the foreign method of reciting ser MODE OF DELIVERY. 469 oions the poorest; but as between read and extemporaneoiia do- livery he i.-^ nnal)]c to decide which is best. He sniiis lip his discussion witii the folh>wing seiisil)]c re- niarks : As that extemporary discourse wliich approachcth most to a studied ox e in regularity of composition and purity of style is tlie best, in liko iranner, among studied discourses that undoubtedly excelleth which is composed with the easy air and pronounced with tlie unaffected warmth and fluency of the extemporary. He therefore reooniinends preacliers "to join the exactness of chiborate composition with tlie spirit of extemporary elocution." 17G6. THOMAS SECKEK, D.D. Arclibishop Seeker, in a cliarge to his clergy, treats the subject under consideration in the following language: Defect in action is better than excess. And a great deal cannot well be used by those who read their sermons. This is one objection against reading them ; and there are several bo sides. Persons who are short-sighted have peculiar reasons to avoid it Indeed, almost all persons are accustomed from their early years to read in a different tone from that in which they speak at other times, and we seldom correct it thoroughly ; or if we did, what we say in such manner as to make it seem the present dictate of our own hearts, will much better make its way into the hearts of others than if our eyes are fixed all the while on a paper from which we visibly recite the whole. It will ordinarily be uttered, too, with more disengaged freedom and livelier spirit. The preacher also will be able to enforce his words by signifi- cant looks, to perceive from the countenances of his hearers what they comprehend and by what they are moved ; and may accordingly enlarge on that head, or proceed to another, as he finds cause. There is a mid- dle way, used by our predecessors, of setting down in short notes the method and principal heads, and enlarging on them in such words as present themselves at the time. Perhaps, duly managed, this would be tlie best. That which is, or lately was, eomm 'n among foreign divines, of writing sermons first, then getting and repeating them by heart, not only is unreasonably laborious, but subjects persons to the hazard of Dtopping disagreeably, and even breaking oft' abruptly, for want of memory. Or if they escape that danger, there still remains another, of •a^ ing their lesson with ungraceful marks of fear and caution. 1772. THOMAS GHJliOXS. Should you, my friend, th' important question oflk, "With or without my papers shall I pr.aeh?" My answtir hear and weigh. Your seruious wnt« 470 MODE OF DELIVERY. From end to en.x and every thought invest With full expression, such as best may suit Its nature and its use, and then pronounce As much as your remembrance can retain Without your written aids. But if too weak Your memory proves, and, like a treacherous sieve, Should let th' elaborate composition through, Eather read every sentence, every wonjj Than wander in a desultory strain, A chaos, dark, irregular, and wild. Where the same thought and language oft revolve And re-revolve, to tire sagacious minds ; However loud the momentary praise Of ignorance, with empty fervors charmed. But never to your notes be so enslaved As to repress some instantaneous thought, That may, like lightning, dart upon the soul, And blaze in strength and majesty divhie. 1776. GEORGE CAMPBELL, D.D. George Campbell, of Aberdeen, in his lectures on Pulpit Elo- quence, discusses very fairly the comparative advantages of reading and repeating sermons; and in the end gives his appar- ent preference to reading, as adapted to secure success for a greater number of preachers. Intermediately, he concedes the superiority of speaking as compared with either reading or repeating, and claims for it the highest excellence of parliamentary and judicial oratory, including the best orations of Cicero and Demosthenes. 1798. JOim SMITH, D.D. In his lectures before one of the synods of Scotland, this author tittered the following strong language : The practice of reading sermons, which is not of a long standing in this country and which is not yet tolerated in any other, is extremely hurtful to the interests of religion ; tor no sermon can have the same energy or effect when read as it has when spoken or repeated. It may "he more correct in point of composition, but this advantage is obtained at the expense of animation, and therefore at the expense of usefulness, Eor the plainest speaker, with animati'^n, affects us more than the greatest orator could do by reading, which hardly admits of any ani- mation. Keading, too, hinders us from observing the countenances of our hear- ers, which would be no less animating to us than ours to them. It hinders us from observing whether they attend to us, whether they MODE OF DKLIVKItV. 4J\ understand uf, or whether tlicy are moved, ami, consequently, from acconimodatiiig ourselves always to their cirennistances. In short, it. in altogether incompatible with true oratory and action, and so inucli uKcra the nature of a sermon from what it would be, if repeated, that it can never have the same effect upon an audience. Hence tlie bar, the senate, and popular assemblies on every other oe- casion, disallow so much of reading that in none of them has it ever yet been practiced or indulged ; so that its being introduced into the pulpil only, ai\d continued there, will be found, I fear, to reflect little honor on our predecessors or ourselves. It seems to argue a want of care, earnestness, and sincerity ; for who, in advising a friend very earnestly, would think of writing his advice, or taking with him notes out of which he should read his counsel? Indeed, the practice of reading has in it something that looks so like indolence and indifference, that it is, in appearance at least, ill suited to that boldness and zeal which men should expect in a messenger come from God. A man who speaks in the name of Christ, as his embassador and representative in the world, might be expected to speak with such a dignity and freedom as would manifest his own inward concern, as well as the awful and infinite consequences of his message. It might be ex- peet'^d that he should speak from the fullness of his heart, and that with all possible earnestness of spirit he "would rouse and excite his people to prepare for death, judgment, and eternity, and to look without delay for the glorious appearing of the Son of God. But if, instead of this, ho bows motionless over a paper, and only through that medium speaks to his hearers, avc are tempted to suspect, if not a want of capacity, at least a want of concern ; for every considerate person will judge according to the appearance before his eyes, and not according to the prevalency of custom, and will, therefore, reckon this as an instance of indolence and awkwardness which has no parallel in the affairs of men. The minds cf the hearers, too, from a principle of assimilation, are apt, on such occasions, to be seized with a languor of spirits somewhat analogous to the minister's indolence ; and though we must in charity believe that the spirits of both are more seriously engaged than their outward frame would indicate, yet the practice has naturally a manifest tendency to introduce a cold and lifeless face on the awful concerns of our immortal J art, and ought therefore, as much as lieth in us, to be always avoided. The preacher who, cold and inanimate as a statue, slavishly reads his •ermons, however well penned, will always find those sermons attended with very moderate success. He may be compared to those worms which seem tJ glow and give some light in the dark, but ha\e ni warmth. He may convey some knowledge to the understanding, but no emotion at all to the heart. Having given the foregoing extracts from autliors of the seven- teenth and EIGHTEENTH centiuMes, it is not necessary to glean exteiisivelv IVoni the earlier autliors of the nineteenth. i72 MODE OF DELIVERY. As the preceding quotations represent tlie oldest expiesp.iana on record witli reference to the reading of sermons, so the fol- lowing are selected as containing the most recent. For con- venience iliey will he classified according to the denomination represented, without regard to particular dates. As an intro- duction to the testimony of the Churches which will follow, two extracts touching the ])hilosophy of the suhject are inserted from two distinguished literary men of the piesent century. The first was a clergyman of the Church of England; the second is an American statesman, and one of the most celehrated of living orators. Pulpit discourses have insensibly dwindled from speaking to reading; a practice which of itself is sufficient to stifle every germ nf eloquence. It is only by the fresh feelings of the heart that mankind can be very powerfully affected. "What can be more ludicrous than an orator deliv- ering stale indignation, and fervor of a week old ; turning over whole pages of violent passions, written out in goodly text ; reading the tropes and apostrophes into which he is hurried by the ardor of his mind ; and so affected at a preconcerted line and page that he is unable to proceed any further? Sid>'ey Smith. It is not indeed to be supposed that an orator like Mr. "Webster is slavishly tied down, on any occasion, to his manuscript notes, or to a luemoriter repetition of their contents. It may be presumed that in many eases the noblest and the boldest flights, the last and warmest tints thrown upon the canvas, in discourses of this kind, were the unpremed- itated inspiration of the moment of delivery. The opposite view would be absurd, because it would imply that the mind, under the high ex- citement of delivery, wa§ less fertile and creative than in the repose of the closet. A speaker could not, if he attempted it, anticipate in his study the earnestness and fervor of spirit induced by actual contact with the audience ; he could not by any possibility forestall the sympathetic influence upon his imagination and intellect of the listening and applaud- ing throng. However severe the method required by the nature of tho occasion, or dictated by his own taste, a speaker like Mr, Webster will not often confine himself to pouring out " fervors a week old," The orator who would do justice to a great theme or a great occa^i^ :i must thoro'.iorhly study and understand the subject; he must accurately, and if possible minutely, digest in writing beforehand the substance and even tlie form of his address ; otherwise, though he may speak ably, he will be apt not to make in all respects an able speech. He must entirely possess himself beforehand of the main things whicli he wishes to say, and then throw himself upon the exci'-emeut of the moment and the sympathy of the audience. In those portions of his discourse which are didactic or narrative, he will not be likely to wan- der \n any direction far from his notes; although even in those porti'^na MOI)I<: OF DKI.IVERY. 473 wew facts, ilhistriitions, and suggestions will be ajit to spring np Itcforo iiim as lie proceeds. But wjien the topic rises; wlicn the mind kindles Ironi within, and the strain becomes loftier, or bolder, or more pathetic ; ■•vhen the sacred fountain of tears is ready to overflow, and audience and iipeakcr are moved by one kindred sympathetic passion ; then the ihick-coming fancies cannot be kei)t down, the storeliouse of the metn jry is unlocked, images start up from the blumber of years, and all that thy orator has seen, read, heard, or felt, returns in distinct shape and vivid Civlors. The cold and premeditated text will no longer sutlice for tho glowing thought. The stately, balanced phrase gives place to somo abrupt, graphic expression, that rushes unbidden to his lips. The un- foreseen incident or locality furnishes an apt and speaking image ; and the discourse instinctively transposes itself into a higher key. — EoWAiiD EVEKETT. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. There is great nniforniity in the manner in which all tlie recent writers of the Churcli of England liave treated tliis subject. Bridges, Gresley, Oxenden, Christmas, and Moore, all speak in the most cornmendatory terms of extemjjoraneous delivery, and give hints to enable preachers to acquire the cai)acity for it. At the same time tliey enjoin tlie diligent use of the pen, but repu- diate the servile reading of manuscripts. The following extracts from Moore are inserted as not only the most recent, hut perhaps the best plea for the ])ractice of both styles of delivery yet published : The question, "In what sections of the professing Church doe« the practice of reading sermons prevail?" may be answered easily. Bishop Burnet gave the answer to it up to his own time; and his dictum will not be far wrong if allowed to be extended to our own. " Keading," he Bays, "is peculiar to this nation, and is endured in no other." And wo see the proof of this in all countries and in all churches. In France, wo never hear of such a practice. Even among Irish Protestants it is al- most entirely laid aside. In Scotland, it is abjured with an almost su- perstitious dread. The Wesleyans would relegate to the shop-board or the plow, a candidate for the ministry who could not do without his notes; while, by other Dissenters, the reading of a sermon is only tol- erated as an infirmity which they hope the preacher will bo able to overcome, and which, until he does, he must use all lawful artifice to conceal. Still less of countenance to this habit of reading from a manuscript oan be found in other forms of popular address, of which the aim, likt» that of the preacher, is to gain tiic practical assent of the hearer. What pl^.ader at tlie bar would think of addressing a jury from a written epecch? How impatient is the House of Commons of eloquence, of i.74: MODE OF DELIVERY. ■wliicli even a few notes only are fastened in the lining of the member's hat? And how soon would onr great religious meetings dwindle down to a scattered remnant, if every speaker, as he was called upon, began to spread out a paper written witliin and without, like the prophet's roll? instances these, all tending to bear out that observation of Sir Walter Scott, " It is conclusive against the frigid custom of reading sermons, that in any other mode of public speaking it would be held cnildish and absurd." Thus, Gospel authority, primitive usage, the custom of the Catholii Church everywhere, and the conclusion from what is found to be ef- fective in public speaking of every other kind, are all against the written sermon. What considerations can be urged, in arrest of tlio sentence that it be proscribed from our pulpits forthwith, and a pat- ent of exclusive preference be made out for the extemporaneous dis- course ? We think there are several reasons against such absolute limitation to one kind of liomiletical address. First, we have a large class of sermons in our Church addressed to auditories who are accustomed to habits of close thought ; who are con- versant already, it may be presumed, with the first elements of moral and religious truth ; and for whom, therefore, the logical exactness and higher range of the written sermon would seem to be more suitable than anything which the average standard of extemporaneous ability would be likely to furnish. Again, we should protest against this banishment from the pulpit of all written sermons, in the name of our theological, or rather our relig- ious literature. Keither are we prepared to surrender even the stated use of the man- uscript as in some cases a suitable vehicle of instruction for our more educated and intellectual congregations. From all that has been aclvancea, it will be inferred that what we re- gard as the besetting sin of the extemporaneous preacher is the neglect of needful preparation ; the getting into a habit of mere word-stringing; the not being furnished with a store of well-defined and solid thouglits, and therefore being obliged to have recourse to the most feeble and wire-drawn generalities to fill up the time. In saying this, we are far from meaning that all the meagerness andsupei-ficialness are on his side. On the contrary, we know that there may be twaddle written, as well ag twaddle spoken/ and that a sermon demanding many hours for the mora manual writing may, after all, contain notliing but stones of emptiness, Bounding brass, and bones that are very dry. But still, the temptation to provide only barren pastures lies more with the extempore preacher, lie is liable to fall in, more easily than the writer of sermons, with the suggestions of an indolent spirit. If he have but the trick of fluent declamation, the power of concealing any poverty of thought by means of a thick mist of words, and worst of all, that dreadful habit, which some are said to have, of appearing most animated and oanic:lislic(l jis a prize essay by the Congregational Union of ICngland and Wales in 1849 Do not Head your ISermons. This is a habit formed by many, and especially by many young mit: Isters at the present period ; but we would by no means rccoiimien I it. If adopted, we consider that yoii would regret its adoption, and find if detrimental to the power and cfTect of your ministry. We are aware that by reading your discourses after their careful composition, greater precision and finish of style may be discovered ; still, how much is sac- rificed, how much is lost ! The vivacity of the pulpit is to a great extent impaired. The life, the animation, the spontaneous and buoyant energy of preaching, which render it so interesting and attractive, and give to it so much power, are in a great degree taken away. A stiff, formal, and mechanical manner is also acquired, which those who invariably read their sermons find it difficult, indeed almost impossible, to shake off. Cesides, we have invariably observed, especially among dissenting congregations accustomed to a free delivery in the pulpit and the unre- stricted preaching of the Gospel, that sermons, however excellent and able in themselves, when read are listened to by the majority with com- parative inattention, and fall on the ears of numbers who remain listless and apathetic. It must be remembered, too, that we haxcfew good readers. It is I'are to hear a discourse read from the pulpit ivell ; with freedom, animation, and effect; in that natural and vivacious manner which is calculated to produce a pleasing and a general impression. Commence >our ministry, then, by avoiding the practice of reading your sermons. Never read a discourse, except on some occasion of special significance, and even then avoid it if you possibly can. Sure wo are that it will be connected with the freedom, acceptance, and efficiency of your ministry more than you are aware. The most enlightened jiulges, the most devout in our congregations, coincide in the observation, that one of the great charms of the Nonconformist pulpit is, that discourses as Q preached, not read ; that the minister does not confine himself to his manuscript, but that he preaches the word of God, delivers the message of heaven to the people with persuasiveness and animation, present.s the truth before them in an easy, unembarrassed, unfettered manner. We have no objection, confessedly, to the employment of notes in the jxxlpit ; it may be, copious. Some find it difficult to preach connectedly snd comfortably without their use. Still, if employed, as has been beau- tifull> remaiked, "they should be like a quiver, on which a minister casts his eye now and then to perceive what arrow is to be fetclied from thence, and shot in earnest." Young ministers should endeavor to i)reach without not«;s ; they often trammel and embarrass. " I once used notes," observed a distinguished orcachcr, " but found my metnory, upon trial, served me best. The sub- ■e^X is laid nearer my heart; 1 think I feel more dependence on th« 478 MODE OF DELIVERY. Spirit; my own soul enjoys more; I am more uncoufined; and any part of the subject more readily occurs to me another time^ when I need it. It requires a little more pains to fix it in the memory ; but amply, veiy amply, does it repay for diligence." Our recommendation is in unison with the above remark, conceiving it to be sound and important. Get the leading thoughts of your dis- courser., the general outline, the prominent illustrations, well imprinted on the memory, "infixed in the mind ;" enter the pulpit after long and deep reflection, under the influence of a devout and holy frame of mind, committing yourselves to the great work to which you are devoted, of unfolding the Gospel and beseeching men to be reconciled with God, and you will find that the Lord Jesus will assist you ; that he will be better to you than all your anxieties and fears. Thought will succeed thought, illustration will follow illustration, there will be no deficiency of suitable and expressive phraseology, and you will give the appropri- ate intonations to your words and sentences, regulated by the natural and fervid feeling you are cherishing ; and thus, we are persuaded, your ministrations will be rendered far more efl"ective than they would be were your seiTuons uniformly read. ENGLISH BAPTISTS. No work on preaching is known to have appeared recently from this source. The precepts and practice of Robert Hall were strongly in favor of exteinporaneons delivery. So are those of Spurgeon and other great preachers of tliat denomination at the present day. ENGLISH WESLEYANS. It is to be regretted tliat no work has appeared illustrating and vindicating the theory of preaching which lias prevailed among the Wesleyans of England from the days of Mr. Wesley to the present time. In the absence of such a work, we find Cuhitt's "Dialogue?," prefacing a volume of sketclics of sermons, and published in 1856, recoTnmending Claude's Essay and Porter's Ilomiletics as chosen guides for a junior minister! Nevertheless, tlie custom of the denomination has been to preach extemporaneously, though by no means to neglect the use of the pen. The English language furnishes no better specimens of printed sermons than may he found among tliose of Wesley, Clarke, Sutclitie, Watson, Bunting, Punshon, and others. MODE OF DELlVKia'. 479 THE FIIEE SCOTCH CHUllCH. The practice of ministers in this Church is divided with about as much equality as in the Churcli of Eiighmd, although ita greatest preachers, like (lUthrie and Dutf, at least in tiicir be:^t efforts, speak " witiiout book." Recently Dr. Begg made an effort in the Assembly to officially prohibit the reading of sermons by students and young minis- ters. He was not successful, and has fallen back upon moral suasion, urging his views in a book, the title of which is given m our list of authors in English. The non-arrival of a copy from Edinburgh in time for the insertion of a characteristic exiract in this connection is regretted. Possibly the extract may be supplied in future editions. amepjca:^" churches. UXITARIAXS. It is a matter of history that the most systematic vindication of extemporaneous preaching yet published in our language is from the pen of the Junior Dr. Ware, of Cambridge. This im- portant work is well known, and easily accessible. It seems, however, to have been more appreciated by other denominations than his own, in which it has not had the effect to introduce the custom which he so ably advocates. COXGREGATIONALISTS. Perhaps no American Church has been so generally wedded to the habit of reading sermons as have the Congregationalistg of New England; and yet the New Englander, their ablest expo- nent, has recently entered warmly into the advocacy of extem- poraneous i)reaching. The following extracts are from the New Englander, of Feb- ruary, 1858, and November, 1859 : Of the two modes of preaching, as compared with one another, wo are persuaded that to talk to the people without a manuscript is " tha true way," the best way, as we have so often heard it called by experi- enced ministers, who regretted, as President Edwards did in his later days, that they had not accustomed themselves to it in their own early practice. . . . A candidate for the ministry has to be warned against extempore writuig. There is danger of it and danger in it. . . . Why should not a young man be trained to think at his touguc'u end u his fingeis' end? ... He may as well be educated to preach 4.80 MODE OF DELIVERY. witliout reading as to write and read. The self-possession, readiness, meil'odical habit, and command of language whicn it especially requirei are m.-ct easily and perfectly obtained at the time most favorable to every other part of education. The theory of the theoiogical seminaries of this denorLiiiutioQ uow is, that the preacher should accustom himself to both modca ot delivery, usually reading a sermon in the morning and preacL • ing extempore at evening. BAPTISTS. Professor Ripley indicates his appreciation of extemporaneous delivery by inserting Ware's Hints on the subject at lengtli. Nevertheless he says : It is clearly advisable for preachers to secure the advantages of eacl method, and the reciprocal influence of the two methods in preventing the dangers incident to each, if exclusively used, and in cultivating to the highest degree the good tendencies of each. Neither method should be used exclusively ; both should \>e used habitually. The pen will tend to prevent inexactitude, shallowness, and consequent tameness of thought, carelessness, extravagance, and vagueness of expression. So, on the other hand, the comparative familiarit}'', directness, and earaest- ness to which extemporaneous address is favorable, may correct the formahty, abstractness, and coolness which a preacher who confines himself to written sermons is in danger of contracting. Each method may be inipeifect without the other ; each, if not indispensable, is ex- tremely favorable to the highest efficiency of the other. Dr. Wayland, ex-President of Brown University, and author of works on Mental and Moral Philosophy, etc., gives his mature views on the subject in his recent work on the Ministry of the Gospel : I cannot leave the consideration of the manner of preaching without expressing the opinion that we liave greatly erred in substituting read- ing from a manuscript for direct, unwritten address. If a dissertation on some religious subject were uttered without notes, the speaker would frequently grow warm in the delivery, and eye meeting eye, he wculd commonly attract the attention of a portion, at least, of an audience. A mutual sympathy binds men together when they look into each other's faces; it acts and reacts on both parties ; and the speaker instinctively labors to carry the audience along with him. But when an abstract dissertation on some not very interesting topic is deliberntely read to an assembly, the eyes of the speaker being united to his manuscript and Tiever meeting those of his audience, the effect upon the hearers musi bfj fts small as possible. Now, is not the tendency of much of ou- y/fta<..hlng towajxl this abso'ute negation of all practical effect? Do no' MODE OF DELIVERY. 481 onr andienccs commonly leave the house of God as unconcerned nhont the great subject of the soul's salvation as they entered it? The con- version of a sinner under a sermon has come to be a very rare occurrence. A few are pleased with the style; a few admire the imagery; a few suppose it to be profound because they do not understand it ; but no one is made to feel himself a sinner against God, and no one asks, " Wliat must I do to be saved?" And, alas! if ho should ask the quesaon, would he find anything in the sermon to answer it? These two methods of preparation for tlie pulpit tend to awaken dis- similar states of religious feeling. When we write in a quiet study, we may, it is true, and if we believe what we preach we actually do, look up to the Holy Spirit for his guidance and directiuu. But still the tendency is apt to be rather to the intellectual than the moral. In writing, wo strive to present some doctrine clearly, to express it correctly and rhe- torically, and if we have done this, to bo satisfied. We cannot rise to that feeling of earnestness which enables us to press home the truth which we have presented, directly and aftectionately upon the con- science. We feel that we cannot write what we know we ought to say ; at least this, I must confess, has been my own experience. Dur- ing the preparation of the manuscript there is none of that sensibility of the presence of an audience that makes a preacher tremble in his knees, without which it is said that no one ever spoke well. The ser- mon is arranged according to the rules, and by this test the writer knows that it is a good one ; that the audience oitght to like it ; and with this he is too prone to be content. He enters the pulpit with more or less of this assurance. He has no need to pray for the assistance of the Holy Spirit so far as the matter is concerned, for that is all prepared al- ready. He may pray that it may be received into good hearts, but he has no wish that it be diflferent from what it is. He has no fear of breaking down, if only his voice and eyesight remain ; for it is all plainly written out, to a syllable, before him. He reads it with such animation as may be natural to him, or with none at all ; looking steadily at his manuscript, and rarely or never catching the eyes of his audience. If ho makes a gesture, it is with his eyes fixed on his paper ; one hand on the line which he is in danger of losing, and the other sawing the air without any kind of significance. When he closes, he perhaps feels that he has not succeeded in arresting the attention of the people ; he has labored hard, but the result has not corresponded with the pains tliat he has taken. Something has been the matter, but he does not know what his. On th other hand, let a man know that he is about to address an audience on a subject of infinite importance, looking them directly in the eyes, and speaking as man speaketh to man, with the simple design of leading them at once to some action wliieh shall afi"ect their destinies for eternity. He prayerfully selects a subject which seems best adai)ted to the wants of his people. Looking for the promised aid of the Holy Bpirit, he endeavors to penetrate its meaning, and discover its applica- faon to those whom ho is to address. His preparation is a coustiiut 31 482 MODE OF DELIVERY. fnterconrso between his spirit and the Spirit of all truth. His object is to say precisely what is given him to say by the Master. The style in which he shall make known the truth gives him no uneasiness ; for as he is accustomed in conversation to use good English, there is no reason why he should not use it in the pulpit, and that is all that is required. Filled thus with his subject, he comes before his people to deliver his message. As he looks around him, and reflects upon the position whicU he holds, and the consequences which may ensue to his hearers and him- self from the service before him, his heart sinks within him, and he not only knows, but feels, that there is no help for him but in God. He pleads the promises, and looks up to the Holy Spirit for aid, casting aside all desire to please men ; and conscious that he has no other inten- tion than to declare the whole counsel of God, he rises to speak. The audience at once perceive that he is deeply in earnest. They look upon him with sympathy, such as nothing but unaffected earnestness can awaken. Their attention inspires him with confidence, and he proceeds in the delivery of his message. Gaining strength as he advances, he feels himself at home before his audience ; and when he sits down he is conscious that, to the best of his ability, he has made known the whole counsel of God. He may frequently, at first, be aware of failure, and find that in the agitation of the moment the thoughts which he deemed most important escaped from his recollection ; but with every attempt the liability of failure diminishes. He acquires the power of thinking on his legs. His trembling, agitated reliance on the Holy Spirit is changed into habitual, trustful confidence. He never rises in the pulpit without an earnest, cheerful hope of producing some immediate practi- cal effect upon his hearers. Nor is he apt to be disappointed. The example of his sincerity and love animates Christians, and attracts the attention of the careless ; for it is not in man not to be afi'ected by that genuine love of souls that shines in the eye and speaks in the tones of a faithful and beseeching embassador of Christ. The Spirit speaks through him to the hearts of men : saints are established in the faith, and sinners are turned to righteousness. I, of course, by no means assert that all preachers from manuscript are such as I have referred to in the first example, or that all preachers without notes are such as I have described in the second. I know well that some of our most eff"ective preachers have always used written preparation, and that some of our least useful ministers preach extem- poraneously. I speak not of individual cases, and only insist on the tendency of these two modes of preparation. Let it be granted that the promises of the Gospel mean anything, and let it be conceded that there is any Holy Spirit, and then let any one compare these two methods of addressing our fellow-men on the subject of their soul's salvation, and decide which ifi more likely to become a blessing to the minister himself, and which is the more likely to bring a blessing to his hearers. I know it is frequently said that the subject on which a ministeT preaches is so important, and it is of so much consequence that men thould know the exact truth, that we ought not to trust ourselves to MODE OF DELIVERY. 483 Bpeak frDm the pulpit without the most carefully writton prepa- ration. But let us not be led astray by words ; let us look at realities. Do written sermons always convey sound theology ? (and by sound theol ogy I mean the simple truth revealed to us by our Saviour and hiti apostles.) Do men professing tlie same sentiments as ourselves never read from a manuscript statements of doctrine to which we cannot as- sent? It is said we need carefully written preparations ; but how often do the most of us deliver from the pulpit carefully written discourses, except it be at ordinations, or on some other special occasions? A really extemporaneous discourse may be written as well as spoken without writing. A large proportion of our written discourses are pre- pared in a hurry, late on Saturday night, and sometimes between the services on the Sabbath, and the thoughts are huddled together with little arrangement and less meditation. Is not such a sermon, though written^ liable to all the objections commonly raised against extempore preaching? Nay, if the same time had been spent in earnest thought, would not the discourse have been more carefully prepared than by the simple process of writing ? Men seem to suppose that what is written must, of course, be sound sense. I confess I have not always found it BO ; and I have sometimes been tempted to ask, Would a preacher be willing to look his audience in the face, and utter such commonplace truisms as he delivers from a manuscript, looking on his paper? I object to the custom of addressing an audience from a manuscript, for several reasons. In the first place, the tendency of habitually using written preparations is to the formation of a written instead of a spoken style ; to cultivate a habit of writing for the press instead of utteruig our thoughts to an audience. We thus form the habit of using abstract terms, speaking of the most important truths in generalities which men only dimly under- stand, and which no one applies to himself. It is not the language of ordinary thought or ordinary conversation ; and it is as if we addressed them in a foreign tongue, which they only imperfectly understand. What the effect of such preaching must be, or rather how small must be its effect, may easily be imagined. The preacher can rarely be deeply interested in it himself, and it cannot be expected that he will interest others. Every one knows that the power of a speaker over an audience de- pends almost entirely on the tones of emotion. This was what the ancient orator meant when he said that the first and second and third requisite essential to a public speaker was deliveri/. But emotion, thougli it commence in the bosom of the speaker, is sustained and deepened and rendered more intense by the reciprocal action of the speaker and audience upon each other. The earnestness of the speaker, shown in the eyes, the gesture, the tones of tlie voice, arouses the audi- ence to sympathy. Their eyes answer to his eyes ; their breathlesa attention shows that everj" tone of his voice thrills their bosoms with emotion; their whole expression reacts upon him, and a mutual sym- 484 MODE OF DELIVERY. pathy binds them together; and he feels that his heart and theirs art heating in unison. Indignation, sarcasm, pity, sorrow, yearning to create in them the same feeling which agitates him, expressed more powerfully in the tones of the voice than in the words which he utters, sway the audience at his will ; and at the close it seems as if they all had but one soul, and that the soul of him who has addressed them. Such was the preaching of "Whitefield. Garrick, after hearing him, declared that ho would give a hundred pounds to be able to utter the simple exclamation " 0 !" as Whitefield uttered it. This power of expressing emotion by the tones of the voice, we may remark in passing, cannot be acquired by art. It must arise from the earnest, honest feeling of the speaker, reflected back from the audience before him. A man may rehearse his sermon alone ; he may determine how this or that passage should be uttered, or what gesture should ac- ■^ompany the utterance ; he may do it again and again before a mirror ; he may blacken his manuscript with every kind of sign that shall indi- cate the expression to be given to the words ; but it is all a failure. Nature is not so easily deceived. The hearers see that it is aU very elaborately prepared, and very accurately delivered ; but somehow or other they are not moved, and it all seems like a boy speaking a pie'ce. To return. It must, I think, be evident that the tendency of habitual reading is to annihilate the true tones of emotion in a speaker. His eyes and those of the audience never meet. They look up, and all is blank, for he is looking steadfastly on something else. The tendency is for him gradually to subside into a quiet reader, delivering plainly, and without emotion, what he has prepared with care and attention. This is the more common case. If, however, he rises above this, and is of a more earnest character, he acquires a regular tone of apparent emotion, a rise and fall of the voice at regular intervals, in which every sentence is uttered. The important and the unimportant are both pitched on the Bame key, and set to the same tune. The tones of real emotion have all died out, and nothing remains but sentence after sentence, whether narrative, hortatory, or emotional, beginning, continuing, and ending with the same pauses, inflections, and emphasis, which no feeling of the Boul seems really to pervade. To this kind of delivery, I think, reading generally tends, especially in young men ; but it is liable to decline, with advancing years, into that which I have just referred to. I do not, of course, deny that we have frequently eloquent readers. I rejoice to say that I have listened to many myself, though it was fre- quently the eloquence of high intellectual rather than of moral ex- citement. Chalmers was a close reader, and never preached without producing great efi'cct. His soul was always on fire, and he threw it wholly into all he either did or said. It was not in his nature to be prosy. Yet a gentleman who was in tlie habit of hearing him has as- sured me that his extempore discourses, delivered to operatives in the outskirts of Glasgow, were far more effective, and more truly eloquent, than the sermons which he delivered with so much applause in the Tron Church of that city. MODE OF DELIVERY. 486 During my ministry in Boston I contracted the habit of writing and reading my sermons. Though I did this at the suggestion of my peo- ple, I consider it as one of the great errors of my life. This error I should have escaped if I had thought more of moral preparation for the pulpit, if my mind had been more habitually devout, and I had culti vated a more humble reliance on the Spirit of God. When, a few years since, I was called temporarily to the exercise oi the pastoral office, I endeavored in some measure to obey the precepts •which I have here inculcated upon others. I at once laid aside every other labor, and confined my reading almost exclusively to the Bible and to works on devotional or practical religion. To the measure of my physical ability I preached the Gospel, both publicly and from liouse to house, seeking to hold personal conversation on the subject of religion, as far as it was possible, with every member of the whole congregation. The Lord in mercy gave me such success as seemed good to him ; and though my imperfections were many, and my practice fell very far short of my duty as a minister, I can truly say that no part of my ministerial life was so full of enjoyment as this, and upon no part of it do I look back with so much satisfaction. I do firmly believe that, to gain victory over one's self, over the love of reputation, position, or emolument, to consider all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord, and in the face of all men to preach simply what the word of God teaches, to preach that only, and to do this day after day, no matter what men may think of us, is the only way to secure a happy and successful ministry, to be happy in our own souls from the presence of Christ abiding in us, and at last to hear his voice, " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." PRESBYTERIANS, OLD SCHOOL. The following preamble and resolution are recorded among the Acts of the General Assembly of tho Presbyterian Church in the United States, of 1849, and define the official position of that body : Whereas^ The General Assembly has reason to believe that the prac- tice of reading sermons in the pulpit is on the increase among our min- isters, and being decidedly of opinion that it is not tho most efi'ectual and acceptable method of preaching the Gospel ; therefore Resolved, That we do earnestly repeat the recommendation of the General Assembly of 1841, that this practice be discontinued, as liir as practicable ; and affectionately exhort our younger ministers and can- didates to adopt a different method, ae more scriptural and eflfective, and more generally acceptable to God's people. The doctrine of the above resolution is ably enforced in a small book published in Philadelphia, entitled " Hints on Preaching," which contains the following: 486 MODE OF DELIVERY. The practice of reading discourses is an innovation in the Congr«g<^' Uonal and Preshyterian Churches in our country. The Pilgrim Fathers of New England, when they came to our country and planted Churches, never read their sermons ; the manner was un- known until nearly a century afterward. Those men of God, ripe scliol- ars and able divines, who were so eminently useful, the Hookers, the Shepards, the Eliots, the Coltons, the Mathers, and -.iieir immediate successors, never practiced this mode of preaching. It is not until 1708 that we hear of it. From a sermon of Solomon Stoddard, on " the inexcusableness of neglecting the worship of God," preached that year, "we learn that a very few preachers had adopted this " new method ;" a method which he strongly disapproves, against which he warns the ministers, and the sad consequences of which he predicts should it ever become general. But the warning was unheeded ; the practice contin- ued and increased until the time of Edwards, when it generally pre- vailed. That great man read his sermons, and read them closely ; and considering what an eminently successful preacher he was, and what a multitude of souls he was the instrument of saving, his example haa often been quoted in favor of the method. But he lived deejply to regret it, and to bear his testimony against the whole practice of reading. "Although," says his biographer, Dr. Hopkins, "he was wont to read BO considerable a part of what he delivered, yet he was far from think- ing this the best way of preaching in general, and looked upon using his notes as a deficiency and infirmity / and in the latter part of his life he was inclined to think it had been better if he had never been accus- tomed to use his notes at all." It is scarcely necessary to add that the habit of reading sermons was introduced at a later period in the Presbyterian Church. Our fathers, though very careful in their preparations, pursued not this method. The Blairs, the Finleys, the Davieses, the Tennents, the Witherspoons, and the many others who were such luminaries in our Church, adopted that "better method" recommended by the Assembly. Davies, it is true, read his sermons after he came to Princeton ; and it would appear from his diary, occasionally did it in England ; but in Virginia, where he principally labored, and where he was most useful, according to \miversal tradition, handed down from those who attended his ministry, he preached memoriter. It is true, also, that Gilbert Tennent, after he came to Philadelphia, read his sermons ; but the people, even his own flock, never regarded him as so useful a preacher as he was before, when he adopted a different method. Many now living can remember when the venerable Kogers, with liis colleagues, preached without reading; and when, in consequence of the influence which he exerted in the city ■where he labored, a sermon was seldom reed in the pulpit of any Pres- byterian church. Those who in different ages have been raised up by God to accomplish some great worh, and have been peculiarly successful, have almost invari- ably preached without reading. We have already mentioned the manner of the reformers, and of the MODE OF DELIVERY. 457 earlier and later Puritans. "Was it not so when evangelical truth vrm revive