New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-02
DIR. HALL ON PREACHING.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE SERMON.
TIE KIND OF TRUTH TO BE PREAcHED-Afr'orni
.ryNrss or MATTER AND CORRECTNESS OF
sprr,r-TnrpUrE TO CANON KIHGsLEY-cULTIvA-
TON OF sTYLE-PERsUAsIvENEssA AND AN EVAN
GEIICAL SPIRIT URGED.
,rnoy , SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSE.l
Nrw.HAvEN. Feb. 27.-Dr John Halls seventh
LYMAN Beecher lecture on Preaching" Delivered
at D. H. on Feb. % before the Yale DIVINITY oonoo
i; Maropand Chanel considered the necessity ~ OF
nreacbinp revealed TRUTH 2) of preaching 1t appro-
nriatelv l in the spirit in which it was gwen 'f so
as to command attention, l5) persuasiVely' anu !"
evangelically. 49,. =
There sbould be abont preaching body. soul, ana
snirt Tua body should be truth not all TRUTH p"' le
uoious troth: not all religious truth. but reveaeo
trptb as nrushed from religious truth as viewed
by the morast; where the moralst ieit on u opeaoo
IN bo0n II was first OF all essential then has the
nreaeher should present revealed truth 10 como Say
inc 1T think so and so" would BIO to start the question:
| Who are you, and what Is your Judgment worm
Rnt TO come saying "Thus saith the Lord would DC 10
drop ont that element self and TO put God In the
foreground Many sermons otherwise good raed pre-
csey here; to fail to miss the apprehensono Vi
the grandeur OF the preachers sphere, grandeur
higher than that OF any other profession.
Truth was next to be presented appropriatey-with
due regard to the preachers relation TO
the people, state of the people There had been ana
were many hereses which the Bible shows how to re-
ute but to refute unheardof hereses would be the
task in many places, waste OF energy. There were
many difficult questions, that Of the future OF the
soul. hut learnedy to weigh them in many congrega
lions would be to commit like blunder. sermon on
tthes would not meet the real need OF communion
Sunday and if beloved pastor had jus, died. sermon
on the breadth and spirit OF the Bible would fall worth
| less whereas one on Remember how He spake unto
you would soohe and help 1t would be well FOR those
Of the audience who went out preaching from sdbDath
10 Sabbath IT, arriving strange place. 1t was FOUND
that state things existed needing truth far different
from that In tho brought along. TO throw the
manuscript by and even OF a Saturday night to wrte
OUT as one best could something fitted 10 the need and
though it might OF itself be cOntempthe 1t would have
far better effect than Inappropriate TRUTH however eio
quent. THIS habit would help to "textuai ndellty,
necessity laId down In all the books BY 1t one would
ever be driving Tor definite point and not rambling of
into this ower-girt path, into this field OF brilliant
speculation. Tie speaker. soon after going to Dubin
WAS asked to preach before his earlier charge in way
to counteract certain tendency toward fanaticsm In
| revival there 1t happened that version OF the
| doth Psalm was much sung and very popular
| there and with special preparation, the
| SIpe"iv S' psa,m in a way which brought men
10 min after the service that he had never done
| truth was well timed. Illustrations might readily be
cited of the evils OF inappropriate preacllng bur as
|
the speaker preferred the anecdoe OF college mate OF
his. exquisite who, at social entertaament ~ MS
native town. where all was merriment and eattiness
stood up to give IA recitation among bevy OF girls ana
s snrxScrinr the Horrors Of e" The selection was
from Milton, aUd "a wonderfully fine passage: nut "
evoked peals OF laughter that pat the eXqses eocu-
Trqth to be presented again in the spirit in
trnih in beliigercn fashion as II he were tearing
enemies pieces and ramping upon them. and, since
he had 1t ali ms way. with grand triumph in the
| peroration an Of which cord only antIgonsm.
or preacher would speak So as to leave the impress
sion that his hearers greatly insued Jim In no. regard
inc his words rather than that they were wr0nglnG
God: which was to put self in hurul attitude. The
Law and sanctions were to be faithfully preached
and Christ and His salyatlon; but the preacher was
first 60 himself profoundly impressed by them and
TO urge them and was TO have tue love ana pul
tenderness OF Christ in weeping over Jerusalem The
speaker had recently received from friend
| i'm Geneva a letter written upon hearing OF
| Csron Kugslcy's death. IL referred 10 the
| last time the writer had heard him preach, anu
| perhaps his last sermon in Eagand-lt Westminster
| Abbey, the text beng, AND ye would not" III the
Canon had known that 1t was to be his ast sermon the
writer said, he could not nave altered IL Iol the orlU T.
| so truthful and strong aud tender was the appeal
Canon, the speaker sad N earlier years ad anOf1n
under shadow OF doubt bat ths broke aier throush
out his whole ministry ~ other respects he had some
of the most manly ana senptu[a 9daed, o,ld OF
great preacher. Now none OF Tue aIueAce coulu say
when the minister might be preaching his last sermon
and he should always preach IN thaI yedrhlhg spirit
T1e sermon was next to be preached to command
| ana hold attention The voice must be Strong. the
speed neither too rapid nor TOO slow, tne Key heIther
loo h gh suOdued there must ne vivacty move
40 fine would put asleep; Pope had well illustrated
this in his hines tlird-rdte verse There must be
| regards would prOdGcc various results; Dit honest
effort in this direction would always have s ellect so
| appreciated. Jeremy Taylor aud Edward irving were
lar enough apart IN STYLE but they evoked common
enumeration their Characteristic cultivation OF style.
Manlness would help in holding attention. aud manness
would all stage tr1ckS Gravity and seriousness
we're also grea tads Because laughter was
NOT follow that the thing for sermon time ANY
advantage thereby gained mad counierbalancng loss
10 lowering the spirit and tone The Sabbath service
81. "a
should be expected pilot in dangeTous narrows was
stern q surgeon performing critical operation would
comurcss his lips and severe to sOemRity; true
Judge In summonlng up "a murder case. would be az
own life. should 1t be In the momentou business OF
preaching: d." NV heart was hot within me- while was
musng the fire burned; then spOks with my tongue"
| The sermon must ever be persuasive. The young
preacher was especially liable to contrary habit; his
argument, he would feel was so eOgeni hat II Eeeded
only 10 he stated Sometimes step farther was taken,
| and didactc and challenging air was added. But
Paul did not so preach VINO sabbath DIV SABBATH IN the
| synagogues persuaded" both jew ana Greek who,
on Mars HILL GENEROUSLY began with perceive that
m all thags ye are excessively religious cited Greek
poetry, and from the judicial surroundings adduced
| lesson concerning day when the world would be
| iuGged by that Man whom lie hath ordained :" who
almost persuaded even Agrlppa Ia almost all con.
Il Was never best let them tell the preacher
| the rehearsal should be STAYED of by talk - the
weather." or the music OF the spheres, or something;
thus the preacher would avoid appearing ever them
TO be combating them, aud would render unnecessary
the inevitable explanations IL mo Ne"lsh IolK should
Finally in the sermon truth was to be presented evan
| galcay. This word ut good one, but the best
Available and In ETY. mo0gy correct. Truth wasio be
in Gospel spirit When Science would teach OF God 1t
pointed TO Alps Niagara, or the laundering OF the
| sborm dashed But the Gospel presented God ~ "a
face so marred more tnan any man." brongnt by 80
wears of human wrong and woe TO worse wreck than
any face lined by channel marks OF the bloody
| . For God who commanded the light to shine OF
darkness hath shned hearts, to give the light OF
the knowledge OF the glory OF God ia the face OF Jesus
| Christ"
HOW TO WEAR AS A PREACHER.
| OBJECTIONS TO CLASS, ANNOUNCED, AND SPECIAL