The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-01-01
NUMBER /.
SLEEPING Il CHURCH.
FROM THE n. Y. INDEPENDENT.


A recent number of the Independent
has an article on sleeping in church.
am not disposed to quarrel with the
article or its writer. Quite the contra
ry, approve: even though i'll approx
ing l condemn myself. But, while APP
proving aud humbly submitting myself
to reproot, may / not say n word in eX-
tenuation OF the unfortunate sleepers.
Here in New England, where piety of
the most unguesaioned excellence has
so long prevailed, let me recite, though
my readers cannot be ignorant of il, the
order of Sunday services Morning SER
vices at 1870, closing at II immediate
ly followed by Sunday-school, closing
at 1 O'Clock, and succeeded by the sec
ond service, at O'Clock. a pretty good
stretch of the attention, it must be ac-
knowledged. The nature of the service
itself is worthy of consideration. OF
the three hymns which are sung, only
in the closing one is the congregation
expected to join; the rest of the music
al performance is the sole property of
the choir. Until this last hymn is sung
there is no provision for a change OF
posture: We sit while the minister
reads, prays and breaches, and while the
choir sing.
The work of the minister himself
must next come under inspection. He
prays reverently, comprehensively and
lengthily, and possibly, if it were or
thodoX to insert an occasional amen to
his petitions, attention might be kept
up TO the end. But under present az
engagements the prayer is very apt to be-
come good deal like an essay read be-
fore God and the congregation.
The sermon is literally an essay, with
out any attempt at disguise. 1t is built
| l. 3
dissects, and in the act of dissection
very naturally deprives of life. Five
or six reasons are alleged for believing
certain doctrine, which most of us al
ready believe; or for the performance
of some duty, of the obligation of which
we have long been convinced and the
period allotted to the sermon comes to
an end before any application of the
subject has been made SO as 10 reach
the heart.
Moreover, as if to insure as little eff.
feet as possible, the sermon, from be-
ginning to end, as read. l know l am
giving utterance to n sentiment which
is not by any means universally received
when say that / think all read sermons
are essentially soporific in their nature.
1t is well nigh impossible that the
reader should not fall into a monoto-
nous style of delivery. And he loses,
in addition, the immense advantage of
sympathy with the audience, which, as
every orator knows, is the most stimu-
lating and inspiring concomitant of sue
cess, and which can be won only by the
speaker who, forsaking book and man
uscript, looks the people straight in the
eye, and speaks to them straight from
his own heart.
In this land of proyerbial good speak
ing, it seems inexcusabie that the pull
pit should be behind the rostrum. I'm
agine, for moment, the effect of po-
litical speech, which should be read +!
And, if it be urged that Christian preach
ing is a totally different thing, and that
the subjects within the lawful range of
the pulpit are such as do not demand
the energy and vivacity of the platform,
why, then 1 must beg to differ. The is
sues which are presented from the pull
pit are infinitely more momentous than
those of the most exciting political
campaign; and the very fact that by
the majority of persons they are grieY-
ously moderated is in itself an ample
warrant for all the energy, the eloquence
and fire which the preacher can com
mand.
Meanwhile, it is some comfort to
weak human nature to know that peo-
pie slept under Paul's preaching, when
it was unusually prolonged, and in spite
of the fact, which few will attempt to
deny, that he did not read his sermon.
j. A. S.