Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-03-03
Preaching without Notes.

The Rev. X. S. Storr, ID. d., Of Brooklyn,
one Of the most finished public speakers VIC
know, after preaching seventeen years with
manuscript, resolved TO dispense with it.
lie has recently engaged to deliver three lee
lures on "The Conditions Of Success in
Preaching Without Notes" From his first
lecture, as reported by the Independent, the
following counsels are taken
First-Never begin preach without notes
with the idea of saving work by il. To be
sure you get rid Of the fatigue of the pen and
desk work. But you want TO be collecting
thoughts for your sermons as you go on err
rands, or while waiting for friend TO come
downstairs at whose house you are calling.
Sometimes thoughts will arise as you are con
versing on the street which ara fitted for the
sermon, and you have only TO store them away
for future use. Such thoughts come oftener
10 me now than they used TO. There is often
additional labor in speaking without notes,
for you must know the subject better You
must have 1t thoroughly in mind. The
mind must be charged through and through
with it. Not so with the man who leisurely
reads through a sermon thirty-five minutes
long. lie is generally fresh enough to re-
read it Immediately. In speaking without
notes, however, vast amount Of vital force
is expended. But this is the power that
moves the heart aud moves the minister.
Both are equally affected. My father always
wrote his sermons When | demonstrated,
he said "Aiy son, ! was taught 10 bring
beaten oil into my sanctuary, and know Of
no better way OF beating it than by using a
pen for spoon" But IL 20 happened some
years after, while / was at home, that was
urged by my father TO preach, though had
no written sermon with me. Upon being
pressed, spoke without notes, and entirely
won over my father to my way Of preaching.
SO you see have made at least one convert.
DO not speak from your teeth outward, as
Cromwell says.
Second Always keep up the habit of care
ful writing DO not take your language
from common talk or even from newspapers,
for editors do sometimes write poorly.
Choose words freghted with meaning. Read
ing puts the words into your hand, but writ
ing puts them into your head Write es-
says; keep up the habit Of writing. Look
out for the formation of sentences. The pen
gives much to the mind. Better take away
half the library than the pen.
Thrd-Be perfectly frank with your own
people. Tell them what your plan is if you
intend to speak without notes. DO not let
them think that You are msmorizing your
sermons.
Fourth-Dscharg the sermon from your
mind Immediately after delivering it, This
is possible though not easy. Lawyers do so.
A case OF murder or theft is forgotten when
one Of slander or libel comes up. You can
do this better by preaching one of your ser
mons Sunday on AN entirely different sub
ject from the other, II you speak on doc
trine in the morning, let practice be your
theme in the evening. Otherwise you will
treat every subject in the same manner.
The eyangelists Of forty years ago, in going
from town TO town, delivering the same stock
of sermons, became less convincing and pow
erful and have left no trace Of their work in
our theological literature It's true YOU will
experience disadvantage in exchanging.
If you write Your sermon out, an exchange
means weeks work less in the year.
have often found more difficulty in re-charg-
ing my mind with an old sermon to preach in
exchange, than in preparing an entirely new
sermon.
Fifth-Neyer be discouraged by what ap-
pears to be failure. Failure is every
where. Lawyers, physicians, and even edit
ors not unfrequently fail ! have known my
father to burn at one time four hundred SER
mons that he considered failures, and hon
ored him for it.
Finally-Do no violence to nature. II
you find that you can preach better by using
the pen than by speaking without notes, do
it. Some can never acquire self-posession
in speaking without manuscript But if
you read your sermon, You want to look upon
your congregation not as so many cabbage
heads, as some one has inconsiderately said,
but as immortal souls. But whether YOU
preach with or without notes, do your work
courageously, earnestly, devotedly. Strive
to be able to say For whether We live We
live unto the Lord, and whether we die we
die unto the Lord. Whether we live, there
fore. or die. we are the lords"