New-York tribune., 1875-02-22
DR HALL ON PREACHING.

vssrNTTiI, ELEMENTS OF THE SERMON.
.,ur OF A TRUE THEORY OF TIE CLERICAL ofFicE-
oprtr THEMES THE MOST ADvANTAGEoCs-'ho"
N WELD TO CIRCUMSTANCE AND MooD-wohin
OF TIE ISK-porTLE.
,vaoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE IHibosA
Exw.HAyry. Feb. l9.-Dr John Halls nth Ly-
..n Raecber lectnre on Preaching" delivered ~
. m Yesterday. before the Yale Divinity Schooi IN
Nsrousnd Chapel, might ftly be entitled, 1Ssen-
tisl Elements of the Sermon" lhose specineo "e,.'
, The nreacher's thorough comprehension OF his
90. Its beine inteIli gble to his audience; 3.
Its being of real moment; T. Its having oehnite
aim. 4 Due regard to time and circumstances; D.
The following in general of ones spirit and mood;
Ceaseess use of the pen. On these topics he spoke
With much earDestness and force.
In tho lectures the speaker had been at pains
"a dwell much on Church and on the preachers rel
tsn 10 i ones conception OF this would an'ct
hls service 10 It, Thus IN the Greek and Roman
Cnurehes the sacerdotal Office the central thought
and much force was laid rites, the wearing Of
erucI or even forcibe baptism OF iufans In general
% sscerdotasm In the ascendant tbs sermon and
the teaching function neglected. Thus In the ho
nan churches of Europe, there was very tts preash
sss eIeept during Lent, and shat largely done by
fr,ars who made 1t special business 80 that the resu'
lar clergy were hardly preachers at all ine
sermons OF the fIiars often forcioie ana
e,ten again would not bear close inspection. ~
Was rhetoric rather than spirit Ths wou'u IL
fustrste how one needed to be persuaded WIN
esep aud impression concerning the preachers
function, and how misconcepdon would lead astray'
In speagiuR now OF the essential elements OF
the ,.ron the speaker wished to be understood as not
claiming to exhaust tho subject or that methods sne-
eesfu 10 his own other mems cases would necessarily
b universally successful but that diversities OF eur
rounding temperament. traniug vent must DC always
REGARDED First thep he would insist that the euh)ect
70 be treated be always thoroughly com
pretended. BY this he did not mean that one must
pa.ter a subj sct In oil its bearings that mus;
eross the limits Of religious thought in the case OF
The or Holy Spirit method Of work. but
that 90 much be presented be Thoroughly 10
hand. II one captivated by some thought or im
prsssye suggestion Of text. and Ia trying TO work 1t
up found it too much for him. he should put 1t by for
further study meditation and PRAYER thai, when az last
Arought out, It might be IN Its reality.
The next requisite was that the sermons subject
should be intelligent ones people not perhaps in its
entirety in its substance. There were things exc
ssticaI and philosophical. which the people not only
could unders and but which would be to them ONLY
sl,ehraic symbols when they knew no algebra: or
eypher without key. Not only wonl 1t he prohless
would be yexed that the preacher far above their
piano, wOuli count themselves almost insulled ana
thns would not be in kindly attitude toward the
preacher ess-n Il In Hil ehcctive preaching
T.sG 0a Ta nSser o I ass ana cons,S tau and
sben to lead on nv eaSv Steps 70 higher staGos, .
eient moment IL Oniy two OF ihem that tae
preacher could give ms peop ia week the rest OF the
tlue they would he occupied with tbeir more soTdid
concerns this chance must be improved for the very
fiseest iusracior. II was, Tor instance STRIKING that
thorns sign OF C1e original curse should nave DeeD
tile Sayiors who lore the curse for mte thit
when Ho left tomb the hucu cotaes were left In
erder showing thSt resurrection was ord,ry ana
rescefu that Crist sail To the rulers dead daughter
,.tm Of rcpfosch. "Pubican ou, these facts were
eidenial, and not o. themes for s@rmon; they were
rstner like hits Of scenery witch the ernst gets IN HE
summer wande 1gs TO work in with som,ihing greater
rather than to make Into masterpieces. oae should
preach great themes the Airs and the Andes Of relt
Fous trnth; they alone stirred men deepest To see
NJ Blanc was woTtn ero-sigg the ocean. Young men
n.tursiy took up texts OF his character nnd havlne
preached thCm oace, never touched them again IN
Toe pastoraio. Tss mistake. trst. because
the people eidn, tememoer sermon very ong so thst
tbere ws n danger iroIa repeiton and secondly DO
IL was Of the last moment, HedIn, that the sermon
should bave definite aim IL should not only seek 10
se1plish sonttnng M SEecne by cSmns spechc
being del lvsfe because the day aud TIE hour made II
the appropriate thing. rIe great preachers oi,the
fourth aud NTH centuries might be preachea
largely on general r1ibs Out was 10 DC oorao IN nlno
that obey sti hsd e;Itas srsat aims which gave rno
pr'ncIpie of rhet all books frOa
Tvu1 prevent ureacnHy from the Garden Of L ten 10
te DAY OF Jldgmeat" all IN one ser no0, as the youag
man was apt tc, modest sense Of his want OF
material. There must bo bullet, tarbet definitely
aeen, and waste or powder.
The sermon again must regard the time, circup-
surrounding OF tho persons 10 be addressed and
preache. relations to them Toe yonu2 man would
better teach Cora providence from eome text other
than II have been yChng ana now am Old etc' aud
nv little cGildIeD. Of whom / travail IN BIRTH" etc
IThe speaker here lt' oduced chapter OF HIS own OF
perienee his early work IN an obscure place in Ire
land showing how nc had 10 adapt himself at once 70
few cultured ana majority OF the most lhttrate,
aud stating that some Of those simple sermons o. his
youth de lveicd In novels with edrhern hJOrs aud
peIceplle feScOin2 had delivered with equal nc
ceplsuce FthaYe.l One wisely TO consult in bis
sermon mOOCs and tempeTs ioYous sermon
world b"st be written whom one WAS much cast
dowe and rice OLe must Le real and wOE Ia his
reality.
Finally must.wriio perpstually A bottles were
eschewei bat the lax bJue. and tnat never Ono
,hoLlu Nri'O clear hand carefully early, oaes
katE Language, and rc'iri,e aad rewrltc 1t was Of
value one ia laBgd3gc, SHOW one iust how
hOae,t worK, tb0Ici le!t at home In ones study
pulpit when weUt q preach. The speaker would
especially emphasize tLis - from hs not speaking from
sHutcrpt false impression 90 his attitude WIs apt
u got abroad eres preacher was before OIL Winds
wbo ddu't do So but be had h7d long cxDcrcDee az
and wJs slngulsSly cud, so toat L' cIse was
pOI. NHeh thc scTnJ1 vas written, great he.p
would taslos 10 into On>S closet aUC laying
e. sore God. prJyiag Him 70 pt IL ana make
cEectuA aud hat he spcaasr mignt be fCTgOtten iO
ta- tTuIn aud hat De aade every mans Gy the Holy
bpirIt's lid.
HOW TO DELIVER THE SERMON
hITuoRIr.S az SACRry-s RnFrORI,-RFA AIDING g'pN-