Weekly Trinity journal., 1858-01-09
WEAvERvILLE. CALIFORNIA SATURDAY, JANUARY g. 1858
Orntory OF the Pulpit.

On this subject, we fear our opinion will con
| fict with what is becoming almost universal Gus
tom we mean the custom of reading sermons, II
the room of fdeclamation, either extempore or IRON
memory, after careful preparation. We wish tC
speak of the subject respectfully aud with proper
regard for the opinions of others. But 1t appears
to us that reading discourse is not prelcaiR1
the Gospel, as we understand the preaching o
the fathers and retormers to have been. The
reading from u manuscript strips oratory OF Its
mightiest armoF-the eloquence OF the eye and o
gesture, Burning and inspired, indeed, must the
words be which, if read forth with no auxiliary
but intonatiou, will rouse the human passions
like the eoquence which is driven forth by the
impulSve gesture of the arms and lighted to its
destination by the fire which genius or passion
kindlPs in the eye. To compare the relative Ell
fects is an abSurdty one is the great stream that
follows its channel through the still valley, the
other is the swollen torrent which thunders
through the mountain goFges with fury that no
thing but its Creator can resist. When the Indian
chief is preparing for battle, he harrangues his
warriors with all the passion of gesture look aud
language when q State is in danger, the states
man speaks to the people with all the earnestncss
of fear when q man pleadeth with his friend,
he looks in his eye and stretches out his hand
and his words are less effective than the signs OF
emotion when mortal is in distress or fear of
death, he clasps his hands and looks upward,
=
pantomme expresses faith and hope louder than
they could be rung from chime of cathedral
bells, and SO all through nature the language of
signs is the cloquence Of intense passion and de
sire, when words fail, even to the young child
who. when hungry, lays his hand on his mother )
breast in suppcaton and hope.
These auXilaries are lost to the sermon reader;
gesture OF the arm, unaccompanird hy II cor
responding motion Of the eye, would be ridicu-
lous, and the eye itself with whatever fire or eX-
preston 1t may have gathered from great
thoughts, is veiled from the audience. and the
preacher stands before them like the sightless
and motlonless creation of a sculptor, endowed
with speech. He is a veiled prophet and might as
well speak from a grave or the boughs OF u sa-
cred oak, like the oracle of Dodona.
We are not the advocates OF eXtemporaueous
preaching on the contrary, we would have every
word written and carefully studied Few cer-
gymen arrive at great fame without hborous
preparation. The greatest clerical orator of the
United States, DR.. Durbin, whom many suppose
breaches extempore, never appears ia the pulpit
without having his sermon carefully written and
studied. We have often heard him walk his room
Tor six hours fixing in memory what he had been
two days in writing but he took no manuscript
to the desk. DR.. Breckenridge the greatest To-
glcian of the Presbyterian church, lays aside his
spectacles, and although he makes but few ges-
lures, looks the hearer in the eye, and rvets link
after link Of his argument until he has furnished
great chain Of evidence which all eau see and
feel II has all been forged before hand.
Turning back to the history OF the Apostles
and following down to the times OF the reformers,
we cannot suppose that they went forth to read
the Gospel TO every creature We can hardly
think that Paul read from a manuscript on Mars
Hill, or that John Knox used sermon paper when
he denounced the lcentious court Of the beautiful
queen. One would suppose that subject involy-
ing the happiness of human soul through all
time and onward forever, beyond what imagiua-
tiOn can conceive of eternity, would inspire the
eye, the arm, the tongue, until the wachmau
standing on the walls, and forgctfu Of the nice
ties oi scholastic art, would hail the throng hur-
rying by as the landsman would warn the DRIFT
ing mariner of deaths shoals Sac. .4ge,