The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1867-07-05
WHY CHURCHES ARE 80 EMPTY.

What d tho reason that sttendance at
churches generally is becoming smaller and
smaller. Notwithstanding the great increase
Of population in sIl our eitissf A commit
ses Of dzyyme. appointed By an Orthodox
Conference At Ciuciunatia . ysar 0, two since,
70 investigate ths cause Of tbs indifference
about public worship, made tho startling
statement that the attendance at the churches
generally is not % large in ths. place now as
Il was 10 1850, although the populatiou has
Increased moro than four.fold. Thy, Of
course. could como to no conclusion as 70
che real cause, though 10 outsiders, from .
different standpoint, twas obvious enough,
and that Is tho unrcasouably long sermons Of
the preachers. This may not be palatablc
truth to those who labor hard to produce an
elaborate sermon or two every week. But
ask ten Of the 6rst attendants you meet
tho cause of their habitual abeenoe from
church, and II they arc candid, nine OF shsm
will tell you IL Is the long, prosy sermon.
Americans arc restless people, and after
a week Of active pursuits, will not stand or
cit out. In constrained posture. . common.
place speech or sermon an hour long. A 70.
miliar talk, or an e1hortation Of fifteen min.
utes, like the admirable discourses Of the
late DR.. Lowell Of the West Church, Boston,
is sufficient. He always left his crowded au.
diences "longing instead Of loashing." !" which
10 the true art Of preaching, a. one Of Dick.
cns' characters says Of letter writing.
can readily believe the above statement
as to Cincinnati, Us observe BY their daily
papes that the churches Of oil dcnomina.
tions have to advertise ns regularly - tho
theatre or circus, with particulars Of preach
es and topics, and . "cordial invitation to
attend" not forgetting to add that "seats
arc frce." But although tho machinery OF
preaching In theatres, oIera
houses. circus tents, 60 {, may excite TEN.
porary interest, the only way to ill the
permanently is for preachers who
dilute their sermons into an hours length to
concentrate their thoughts into one Of twenty
minutes. Let them try il for six months and
their churches will be filed.
This whole matter OF sermons needs reform.
In late articles in the London Times and In
Blackwood's Magazine on public worship,
tho writers say there is no subject on which
DO much intellectual labor Is uselessly expend.
cd, and on which nine.tenths OF the public
nrc 90 profoundly Indifferent, as In the com.
position Of sermons; they arc all too long.
Of course there arc exceptions to this general
view, when occasional" discoarses on some
striking topic Of the hour will bear moro
by rarley able men.
The state Of the world 10 very different from
what IL was two or threo centuries ago, when
the great mass Of the people wero ignorant
and needed instruction from an educated
Now, In tho general diffusion
Of education and intelligence, there are not
many communities where the average OF the
hearers is not about ns we'll informed as the
average OF their preachers. The good at. |
tendance ut all our vesper services where
formal sermon IL generally dispensed with,
shows how tho popular feeling runs.
I have now In my thoughts society over
which a preacher with an nfiuent mind and
fluent delivery" was settled Eve or six years
,inoc; his church was then flied with intel.
igent hcarers but a. no preached without
notes, his serm0ns were seldom less than an
hour long, without method, discursive and
diluted; and 10 was . common remark In
Walking homo from church that no one could
.ell what really was the distinct subject Of
he sermon. lie literally preached the socie-
~ to death; his hearers steadily fell Of Tex.
,ept on vcspsr evenings) till only thirty or
iorty wero left,-when ho left also, and the
church was closed. |
God forbid that I should say ono word
against public worship. only wish to mako
& moro attractive, or rather, less roPellant.
But doubt that long sermon, to o drowsy,
stless. uneasy audience, 10 any legitimate
,srt OF public worship.-"R.,"m Chriaian
Reg,str.