The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-12-08
THE BISHOP OF OXFORD ON WRIT
ING SERMONS.


of the Bishop of Oxford. he preached a
sermon, in which he made the following
very familiar criticism upon the pulpit
oratory of the English church:
Again, suffer me to ashland | ask it of
| myself just as much as of you-are our
| sermons what they ought to be, and what
labor and prayer might make them Now
am by 10 means disposed to an indiscrim-
mate assent to the truth of the popular
outcry against our sermons which has of
late reached the ears of all. But, yet, are
they not too often efficient precisely in
these qualities which are necessary to make
them really effective with our people For
is there not in general the taste of essays
soundness, moderation, and perhaps exact
ness! And is not their fault-that really
objectionable fault to the listeners of every
class, and especially to our class of listen
ers-that of dullness? And is not what
we want to reach our people, a style of
composition the exact opposite of this, one
which is intellectual, terse, pointed, deal
ing in short sentences using Saxon words
as close to every day life as it can he with
out being profane or vulgar being at once
impressive in its subjects, its applications,
its illustrations. and its assertions = Should
it not be rough enough, so to speak, to
make it felt through their dull skin of ig
norance and inattention! Should it not
nd fho
drowsy man ere his slumber is sound
Should it rot be pathetic, for who more
notices than our common race that which
reaches them through their affections
Should it not through illustrations convey
! truths which the unlearned never receive
Should it not avoid the easy uniformity of a
man applying a nostrum, and with the liv
ing earnestness of one who believes he has
all important truths to convey, declare the
curse of sin and the blessed remedy pro-
vided for it in the sacrifices and perpetual
offering Of our Lord, and in the working of
God the Holy Ghost Should you not
dwell on and proclaim Christ on His cross,
Christ in His work of love, Christ in His
word, Christ in His church. Christ in His
sacraments, and Christ crucifed; Christ
risen, Christ madiating, Christ saving
Should it not embrace all the variety and
fire and love which belongs to a mouth full
of phrases, but heart, and mind. and soul,
full of their subject. and that subject eter-
nal life, man lost or mans salvation. and
the love of Christ, and the working of the
Eternal Spirit, and the blessedness of the
church of the redeemed And should not
all these be delivered as if we were in
earnest, because we are in earnest | must
leave it to you to determine for yourselves
whether you can best speak, then, for
Christ from or without a manuscript. |
believe generally the best course is to
preach once each Sunday written and
once an unwritten sermon; by no means
| one which has been committed to memory,
but one which, through fresh offerings of
tho moment, -ie tho product of thnnghts and
study, and prayer; for the written sermon
secures exactness and variety, and the
unwritten the habit of speaking, to our
people from the heart to the heart, instead
of reading composition in their presence.
1t would help Us, again, to a mode of
preaching, if we remembered constantly
| that for the great mass of our people
preaching is and must be the great instru-
meut God uses for converting souls and it
| is only through this that the dull monotony
of a worldlness is ever broken in upon by
that stirring of the spiritual affections
which belongs to Gods mercy. 1t is from
my conviction of the great Importance of
reaching these affections, and especially
at such time, that l would urge you to
aim specially at producing this result by
short sermons, fuller than usual of affec-
tionate appeals and devotional thoughts,
before the administration of the Lords
| Supper in the churches.
GEN'L WALKERS OFF1CERs.-It is stated
that among the officers who accompany
Walkers fillibuster expedition is Col. I.