Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-05-11
Pulpits In Old Times.

preaching. We take the concluding
paragraphs only:
There are far worse dangers to be
apprehended in the matter of pulpit
oratory than familiar illustrations and
honest plain. spoken English. Firing
over the heads of congregation is
far more common fault, and much less
excusable, than firing point-blank in
to their consciences, even if at some
slight risk of falling into the coarse
and grotesque. Rowland Hill (who
certainly did not himself sin on the
side of over-refnement) was right |
enough when he said, "1 don't like
those mighty fine preachers, who so
beautifully round off all their periods
that they roll off the sinners con-
science" "When preach" said Lu-
ther, 81 sink myself deeply down: |
regard neither doctors nor masters,
of whom there are in the church
above forty; but | have an eye to the
multitude of young people, children,
and servants, of whom there are more
than two thousand" 1t is hardly too
much to say that two-thirds of every
sermon that is preached is practically
Hnlntelligible to an audience of work
ing men. Neither the words, nor the
ideas, nor the formation of the Senten-
ces, are what they are accustomed to.
1t is quite true that such audiences
by no means object to fine language,
! if it be Sonorousy delivered: and
there are plenty OF stories current as
to the imposing effect of sounding
p0lysyllable, or even a scrap of Latin
upon ignorant hearers. But if the
pulpit trumpet is to call to the real
battle OF lite, it must at least utter an
Ineligible sound. Sermons, even
more than prayers and catechismS,
must be in the vulgar tongue" if
they are to have any practical effect
on the masses. 1t has been one of
the laments over the Church Of Eng
land that she lis dying Of gentility
but those who have listened to preach
ers outside her pale know that the
Dissenting pulpit is not whit more
free from the faults Of au infated style
and "genteel" vocabulary. The fine
language Of such orators is of a diff
erent type: the ornament is coarser,
the metaphors less chaste; but the
fastidious polish of the university
graduate is not replaced, as one might
be led t. i'pe, by the homely sim
plicity vi an uneducated apostle
There Is more defamation, but hard
" so much common sense; and often
the only difference in the matter of
hard words is, that the preacher of the
cOnventicie is not quite so nice as
Mrs. Malaprop in his "derangement
OF epitaphs. Hard words are often
worse than uninteiigiOle to an igno-
rant hearer; he makes a guess at
their meaning from the context, and
: the guess l. not always a happy one.
A country clergyman can hardly be
, too careful in this respect. Mr.. Hood
has story of one who was sent ion
suddenly to a cottage, where he found
a man in bed. "Well, my friend
, said the pastor, "what induced YOU tc
send for me ?' The patient, who was
rather deaf, appealed to his wite.-
t What do he say" He says" shout
: ed the woman-"what the deuce die
you send for him for ?"
Plain-speaking is desirable, as &
> matter Of good taste as we'll as of ed
e iication, in the pulpit. There, of al
D places, atfcctation, or the SAVIOR of af
fectation, raises a Sneer of angry dis
gust; whereas an honest homelines
\ will at the worst but call forth harm
less smile. A Welsh Calvinistic min
. lister, well Known in his day as "Sam
q my Breeze" was called upon t.
e preach amongst others at one of thos
: periodical gatherings popular amongs
|. the Welsh, which are, as it were
+ feasts of sermons-two, three, or evel
r four preachers succeeding each othe
O in the pulpit-perhaps in Welsh an,
!. English alternately. The young ma
t who Immediately preceded Sammy ha,
!. taken as his text, ''He that believet
| not shall be damned;" but "begge,
k pardon of his audience for the stron
r language he wa. u>iug. Sammy 90
f up after hiu, and read the same text
# Brethren" said he in his homes
Welsh-English, "our young friend ha
1 been fiery foine tonight, and very pc
f lite. l am not fiery foine, and | al
f not polite; but | will preach a littl
e bit of gospel to you-'He that beliey
g eth not shall be tanned, and | beg
$ no pardons.
r The length of sermon is a yer
e. fertile subject, in the present day, o
l. discomfort and remonStrance. Taste
,r and opinions have always differed, an
n the preacher own views upon thi
D. point may not always be in exact CO..
f. respondence with those OF his congr,
H. CATION. Sermons in early times seel
10 to have been comparatively short
,s Some of those extant by the Lati
" fathers would not occupy, as the
stand, more than ten minutes or
e. quarter of an hour; many Of Bede
a consist Of only a very few lines
h. Therefore we are not safe in restin
:" upon such data for their actual dur,
tb ton when delivered, since it is plai
r. that in many cases what has CON
r. down to US are merely outlines c
n- notes upon which the preacher worl
" ed, or shorthand memoranda (fc
,e there were shorthand writers even
is those early times) taken down on IL
We spot, and dressed and corrected afte
be wards. Long sermons, as rule, wei
v the product of the post-Reformatiol
and especially of the Puritan time
when preaching usurped sovereign
ip ty over all devotional exercises. "
# some of the earlier divines wer
Id lengthy enough, especially universit
:. trrooob,rs Richop IaooL proaoha