Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-15

English preachers by Timothy TiicOmb,
(Dr. Holland is published in the Spring
field Mass republican:
STURGEON.
Mr.. Surgeons church is a very laFge
and we'll coniriVed house, capable Of hold.
ing a larger congregation, L Judge, than
that Of Mr.. Beecher in Brooklyn IGdeed
It is claimed that it affords comfortable sit
, iings 10 five thousand persons. There were
not more than five hundred people 10 The
church when / entered. but they cane
pouring IL from that time forward. until
every part of The building vi ) crowded.
The interior is oval, the platform pulpit
standing out from one extremity, and per-
mltting the seats to sweep entirely around.
an arrangement which gives a pretty good
sized audience only the chance Of se,i1g
the back side Of the speakers head. The
personal appearances Of the great preacher
has become go familiar 10 Americans
through engravings and the descriptions Of
leiter-writerF, that need. not say more
than that he Impressed me, as he stepped
/ quietly upon the stand, as a hearty, healthy,
powerful man. After giving out hymn,
and begging the congregation not TO sing il
too slowly, he Joined with them in the
music. Then he read a telegram he had
Just received from some distant part Of the
kingdom, from a man who was dying, and
who found himself ia The dark hoar, IN
/ sustained By the Christians hope. His
| prayer for this stranger was one Of the
most touching things 1 ever heard. In
deed, the whole prayer, Of which this
formed an episode, was marked with great
ferver, thorough spirituality, and z flow
AID command Of language which much
surpassed my expectations. When he
flashed his preaching, was not left at q
loss to understand the secret of his power.
He 10 good man, strong man, thorough
ly In earnest. There were passages in his
sermon, not few, which reminded me Of
Beecher. The same directness, the same
burst Of grand and sweeping power, the
same facilities of diCtion, which distinguish
the performances of the American preach.
er, were scattered through the sermon.
Mr.. Surgeons vocabulary is not 80
large as that of Mr.. Beecher. He is not
50 completely en- rapport with the world Of
Nature, and his fancy and Imagination are
not so active; but he Is dramatic, under
stands human nature, believes in Chris
tianity Ia good thing in preacher), knows
exactly what he wants 70 do, and drives
straight forward to the end he seeks. do
not know that Mr.. Spurgeon is Mr.. Beech
er's superior in anything except it may be
as business man. His faculty Of organi-
zItion-of 30 setting other people at work
"a to multiply his own personal power a
thousand fold must distinguish him, IN
the results Of his life, froG 'scher.
Mr.. Spurgeon is doing by organization
and instruction what Mr.. Bsecher does by
personal magnetism. Mr. Beecher inspires
other elergymen; Mr.. Sturgeon. educates
them, and so builds and shapes the policy
of institutions that he will be producing
preachers after his own kind long after he
has passed away. The spirit Of the man is
kindly. His manner toward his>people Is
familiar and fatherly. Like the Brooklyn
preacher, too, he is not without his dash Of
humor. In short, l left his presence, az
last, with good taste in ny mouth, and
the firmest wish 10 my heart that the Lord
would send into the world, and set to work,
ten thousand Just such sensational fanatics
as NJ. Sturgeon.
NEWMAN HALL.
heard Newman Hall at s.. james Hall,
an immense room, on the upper floor Of
high building. The afternoon was warm,
and the hall was hardly twc-thiris fall. /
ind that the famous clergyman, though
standing high as 4 pulpit orator, ia not 50
popular % q preacher as he d as platform
speaker. He attracts no such audience as
Mr.. Sturgeon but on the occasion OF q
public meeting, for the discussion Of any
political, social or religious question, be
| can never be in the audience and escape i
| call to the platform. His oG-haEd per-
| formances are always acceptable, when IN
/ der the spur Of great audiences and great
occasions, while in his pulpit Efforts, care
| fully planned lie ia often commonplace.
| He seems 10 me Ike en- exhausted man,
| and ! verify believe be IA. lie looked more
worn than when he was in America. He
! ia one Of those unfortunate men who have
| undertaken 20 do more than any one man
| ctu do. His sermon. though ROT i.hOu.
+! good and telling points. 0as tEe work Of
/ man who breaches too much. There was
/ not lime enough rpeGt IN Is preparation.
/ He had lsft too much 10 be thought out IN
/ der the inspiration Of the moment, and
/ found too late that the afternoon and the
audience we're not capable Of inspiring 4
| msn 50 tired as himself In this thing,
| Mr.. Spurgeon shows himself to be Dr..
\ Halls superior. When he is tired, his
brother breaches. What he cannot do, ne
makes other people DO. He looks now as il
be would be good for thirty years, while
! DIR. Hall will certainly break down unless
he changes his policy.
! DIR. CUMMINGS.
The National Scotch Church, Dr.. Cum
ui;ngs' Crown Court, Covent Garden, IS not
a conspicuous edidce, and might be passed
| a hundred times without exciting inquiry.
Surprising that it would be crowded, /
adopted the same policy Of early attendance
which had served me so well At Mr.. Spur
geon's church. l might just IS well have
stayed at home, a. not a bit Of thcinside Of
the church did [ see until every man who
owned seat in the church was seated.
l was very pleasantly disappointed ia
| Dr. Cummings preaching, for the loose
ness with which for several years be has
spread himself upon print had led me to
EXPECT more Of words than Of ideas His
sermon, compared with those Of Mr.. SpuJ-
ge N and DR.. Hall, certainly deserves the
pre-emiuencs as a literary performance.
Its English was clearly formed, and the
style both Of its composition and delivery,
was nervous and f0rcible.
| Inc WlOlG euGEL htaS lluEE uLLsltNlt care
full and scholarly than either Of the other
sermons Of which have written. Nor did
it lack in earuestnes5 Of purposes and
shall always remember it among the COM
paratiyely few really excellent sermons l
have heard in my life. It contained moth
ing Of DR.. Cunning peculiar views
touching the imminence Of the cOnsumma-
ton Of earthly affairs, bat was a manly pro-
test against certain usurpatiOns and pre-
sumptious Of the Established Church OF
England. Indeed, there was not one Of the
the three sermons TO which l have alluded
in this letter that did not have its "dig sat
the Church-not i'll natured in the least, but
a plain, out-spoken denunciaion Of some,
Of its measures and claims.
| Dr.. Cummings ia a 6ne-lOOking man
with a good strong cast Of countenance,
which reminded me not a little Of the la.e
Dr. Wayland, Of Brown University.
SERMONS NOT WRITTEN.
All these men speak without writing
!heir sermons. At least, they bring very
few written words into the pulpit. I can
not help feeling that, in this direct dealing
with the people, lies one important secret
! Of their power. Suppose you we're to tie
| Mr.. Beecher down 10 written sermons /;
would il be hard 70 see that, thus tied
down, be would cease to be the orator Of
power that he cOufsssediy Il? Thus hamp.
cred, he would cease 70 be Mr.. Beecher
| His strictly Characteristic efforts would be
ended. | suppose it would be the same