The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-06

How SERMONS ARE MANUFAcrUREp.-The
following curious article appears i'll the
Liverpool Mercury: .t......s
A CORRESPONDENCE has come into DIR pos
session for the authenticity of which we can
youcb 1t consists Of series of letters which
passed between person who made 1t his
trade to write sermons, and a Church-ot-
England clergyman who made it his business
to preach them in q church some forty OF
fifty miles from Liverpool. The sermon
writer would appear to have been an obscure
newspaper reporter out of work. The
clergyman (who carried on the correspond
ence under feigned name, and had his lei
tiers and manuscripts addressed under cover
TO his grocer was Il lnuch-esteemed rector
none of your wild young curates, but re-
putable middle-aged parochial parsonage,
with living Of his own to sul'>ist Oh.
1t would seem that two of the sermons
have been delivered, and that the writer of
them, being either distrrlstful or hard up"
has applied for ''somcthing on account"
At all events lie gets this letter:
"Dear Sir,--Ii you will send me sermon
| forthwith on the Christians victory over
death, founded upon Il similar passage to the
one in 1st Corinthians, 18th chapter The
last enemy &c.-and l approve Of it, then
will remit You the 25s.; upon receipt OF
| which you can send rs soon rs possible three
more on stirring subjects suitable for Sub
bath evening uses"
The sermon goes, and in reply comes this
letter:
"Dear Sir,--1 have just received BIS. Shall
| not needit tomorrow. Approve OF it with
one exception, which | should like you to
remedy. Will then remit you. Having
given 4 description of man when death
entered into the world, think, in rs glow.
ing language as possible, Il description should
be given Of Christ's resurrection from the
| dead, when death was conquered and the
devil defeated. Let me have this ap
pendage us soon as possible. Will then full
| ill aforementioned agreement, upon re
ccipt of which you will please send two
more ut once Oh striking subjects, dressed
in us slo,ctng foare,y italics in original Ian
guagc as you like"
At this point the correspondence, except
40 far us it relates to remttances, breaks OF
for month, from which we judge that the
writer laid on the color with sufficiently
unsparing hand. Then we get this:
"Dear Sir,--Having been from home.
did not receive yours until this day. APP
prove OF it, If you will please append
graphic description of Gods love manifested
in the gift Of his Son for sinners, coupled
with glowing description of Christ's dying
on the cross, the contamination OF love
; Was too late this evening for =. o. .. vii
send it Oh Monday -.
The concluding letter of the series is too
long to quote in full. II begins about ''tlie
account and the remittance" and goes on
To ask for u sermon on the words, Not by
might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith
the Lord" The writer is to "adOpt hi,
own course in introduction" but he is tc
get in Il description, Gin rs forcible and
graphic language us possible" of the 4" first
apostles-fshermen taX-gatherers," &C.
and contrast them with "the great ones, the
leading ones of this day" He is also to
"bring in the Reformation, Martin Luther
&C., in cas- glowing language as possible
and then to describe {" the position OF the
Church at the present day."