Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-08-24
RscOil of stolen Guns in the Pulpit. II

h6cOll OF hLolen GunS IN tn6 rulplb. "
The perils of the practice somewhat
common in England, Of delivering bor-
rowed, bought, or stolen sermons as
original, is well illustrated, says DR.. Do
ran, in an incident which occurred in
one of the western villages of the king
dom.
The rector and the curate had been
absent for some time; but they we're eff
ciently represented while they we're
away. They returned to resume duty on
the same day. The curate took the
morning service, while tho recter olficia-
ted for friend in neighboring parish;
but the rector was present in the evening
to preach after the curate had read pray
ers. The sermon in the morning was so
good that the members of the congrega-
ton congratulated themselves on the Ell
fects which change of air had on the
preachers style and powers generally.
When the rector ascended the pulpit in
the evening they hoped that a judicious
boliday.time had had the same effect upon
him, and felt that they would be better
able TO judge when they, heard him give
out the same text which had formed the
subject of the curates illustration in the
forenoon. Very soon, however, they
found that it was not only the same text
but the same sermon; and then the
faces of the congregation assumed a
variety of expressions that might have
defed Herr Schultze himself to repre-
sent. There was but one placid coun-
tenance in the whole church, and that
was the preachers, who went on quite
unconscious of the days history and
its consequences. There was but
one face besides that did not bear
upon it an expression of fun, or comic
surprise, or laughable perplexity and
puzS cement, and that was the curate's.
He, good mani looked the more con-
cerned and abashed as he tried to look
otherwise-the more he strove to assume
a guise ofindifference. the more intensely
horrified he grew. In short, the two
worthy personages had, unknown to each
other, purchased dozen or so OF litho-
graphed manuscript sermons, and they
had the i'll luck, without communication
with each other, to select the same SER
mon wherewith to inaugurate their
return to the old pasture. The peo-
Pile, however, we're good natured peo-
pie, the two clergymen were wor-
thy men, and beyond harmless joke
or two, no harm came of this little mis-
adventure. 1t is more dangerous, per-
haps, to preach the printed than the
written sermons of other people.
remember an illustration of this in the
case of a popular preacher" On leav-
ing his church where he had delivered a
very original discourse, he asked
clerical friend who had been present,
what ne thought Of the sermon. The
friend spoke of it in terms of the warmest
praise, and then the subject was dropped.
In the course of the following week,
however, the friend, for purposes of his
own, purchased three volumes Of SER
mons delivered and printed in the United
States a dozen years before. In the
second volume, opening it by chance,
be came upon the original sermon that
his friend had preached, and asked his
opinion on the previous Sunday De
quietly put that volume in his pocket,
and went down to the chapel Jack,
said he-they were both Of the free and
easy style Of popular preachers" Jack
what rascals these Yankees are Here"
taking out the book, they have taken
the excellent sermon heard you preach
last Sunday, and printed it-a dozen
years sgo" Jack laughed, hummed a
tune, offered his friend a cigar, and
walked away to one Of the theaters.