Smyrna times., 1876-08-09
mise eIIUH e OWS .
The Double-Barrelled Sermon.
An ACTUAL OCCURRENCE.


ifcnyions to discriminating body of
church members in whom the election
was vested The objection to an election
in such a matter is, that tho successful
test to begin his ministration by having
a majority 10 please, and a minority to
win who he has already displeasod; the
latter being the easiest operation of the
two to man of proper independence.
Rut on this occasion there was something
worse than even that; for the elective
body made the crucial test of fitness for the
pastorShip, the candidates ability to tickle
their ears in the delivery of sermon.
Not that these uneXcitable followers of
Lu,her were bad judges of . discouse,
though perhaps they were on the whole
disposed to like that one the best which
displayed most of cleverness; but the es-
,ential y;ciousness of such II mode of iudg-
ing was, that it was grounded on the as
sumption that preaching makes the pastor
as manners make the man."
AtZ- however, there was peculiarly
inthoirmode cooperation, which Is unknown
among ourselves. With us, when trial
sermons" are preached, the electors are
content TO have one at a time: but at L
i was the custom to have them in pairs {;
not both at once, but first one and then
the other in the course of the same sitting
or service. Possibly there waG some
advantage in this system to the Judges,
though not to the preacher whose turn
came last. Whether it was done for the
purpose Of aiding the light judgement, of
the fraction of more immediate com
faIison. or simply to clear off candidates
the more quickly and to save time, can
not be known, but such was the system.
Several pairs had thus presented them
rejected. The judges were hard to please
or satisfy, or tickle. Still fresh candi
dates came up, and every week the com
mittee las we should sayl "sat upon i
pair of them.
It was late on Saturday evening whom
young clergyman, dusty with many I
weary mile of walking, and of very ordi
nary appearance, entered the quiet I'M
that stood near the Church of ST. Cathe
rine, at L, requested a bed for tw,
nights, and instantly retired, supperless, t
his chamber
He was Ernest Wohlmann, pastor of tn
little village at Salbach, some tvent
miles away, and he had come to enter tn
lists, that is, the pulpit, the next day, an,
measure himself with some unknow
competitor before the searching eyes an
critical eyes of lay judges. Poverty wi
never, as a rule, in the long run, secul
pastors of the right sort that is, men VIII
will really influence all classes Of the
focks, rich and poor, educated and ign
rant. 1t is by no means, as Bishop Wi
berforce once said, a seive, through whic
will be bolted all the wOrdly-minded an
ambitious. Rather is it snare, whic
honest men of Independent spirit wi
avoid, and so make room for the loves
who can afford to be poor, and to who
the position of pastor is in itself the grea
est promotion. OF this, the prevailil
state of things in Germany Ernest VOL
mann was by no means nice specimen.
The poor pastor was soon in bed, for
was very tired; but sleep refused to cor
to him. The next days sermon possess
him, and he closed his eyes in vain.
had not the singleness of purpose II
would enable a man, having done his be
to leave such matter in better hands;
had yielded to the temptation which
vicious system had set in his way, to p
pare a sermon, not to do good to othC
but to gain his own advancement, to pie
his hearers rather than edify them. Tn
it lay, the painfully elaborated discour
on the table. How he had worked at
How often he had rewritten it How ca
fully he had rounded its periods, q
balanced its antithesis, and polished up
illustrations Not that he was going
read it; that was not permitted. 1t wa
be delivered without book" But t
was nothing to him; for he was posses
remarkable memory, and had learr
1T easily by heart. Yet would it do?
atup to the mark? Could he not impr
this or that part of it which felt
weak? Who could the man be that wa
be paired off against him? And in
midst of these troublous cogitations he
beginning at length to fall asleep, wi
he heard a sound that woke him up n
eiiectually than trumpet below his '
dow would have done; and sat up to lii
with all his ears.
Yes, there could be no doubt of it SO
body was preaching sermon in
adjoining bedroom. A suspicion flas
across his mind, and he was out of be-
an instant, while in another his ear
glued TO the wall. Wall it was not; n
ing but thin partition of lath and pla
lie could hear as distinttly as if they '
IN the same room. The face, to say not
OF the figure, of Pastor Wohlmann,
perfect study, as he listened for
three-euArters of an hour to O s.