Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-07-07
The Written or Unwritten Ser.
mon-Or How to Preach.
BY REV. DIR. GEORGE r. ENTLER, FRANK
LIN, n. Y.

The written sermon was not the apos-
tolical method of preaching. 1t is ri
diculous to think of the apostolical Paul
as preaching from copy book, (as the
Kentucky Baptists call the written ser
mou). Augustine, Of the 4th Century,
said he had more freedom in the pulpit
without notes. Augustine was and
still is the greatest theologian of the
ages Why should not preachers have
the same liberty as the lawyer and ply
sician, to practice his profession in the
way which he conceives to be best for
the people? The unwritten sermon was
the general method of preaching from
the apostolical days down to the period
of the ciuit wars in England, while the
written sermon was the exception.
During the ciuii wars each pulpit was
surrounded by spies (not any worse
than at presently, and the preacher was
liable to be indicted for an expression
(not for pronunciatiou) that was not
palatable to "the powers that be-" He
was careful as to how he read his ser
mon. He had to keep the emotional
element ir abeyanee, lest he should foist
into bis discourse All extempore remark
which would be used to his disadvan-
tage. Says Cotton Mather, Warham,
of Dorces.er, Mass, was the first person
who read sermons in New England, and
the reason for this method was that she
was a melancholy man, and could not
always summon his powers" The ser
mon was an hour long, measured by an
hour glass, which stood upon the pull
pit. Why lot put the clock there? No
man is so trammeled as the minister is
by the exactions of his people. They
can attend concerts and social gather
ings, AMI stay just as long as they
please, but if minister takes 40 min
utes for a discourse (Which is not too
long), they must begin to twist and look
around to the clock, and complain, how
tedious! But the frothy and silly
speeches and concerts, which keep them
out 'till gray dawn" appears, is nothing
not to say anything of their children
being there, too. Prof. Doelinger, of
Munich, Germany, the greatest living,
church historian (remember he is he
retical Catholic), told MIR. Gladstone
thirty years ago, that he was confident
that if the Church of England was ever
to become a truly national church, and
lay hold Of the hearts OF the people,
they must give up the practice of preach
ing written sermons. The General AS
sembly of the Presbyterian Church of
this country, in 1851, 1912, 1S49 recon-
mended that the more scriptural method
of preaching (without uo;es), be adopt
ed by all her ministers. That bold and
fearless Kentuckian, the late Rev. DR..
Robert Breckenridge, who was dele
gate to the Assembly of 1912, defied
the Assembly TO dictate to him how he
should preach, and advised every preach
er to use his own judgment, and said
that he would not be dictated to neither
by the General Assembly nor hy the
Pope of Rome, on this point. We like
this kind of plain speaking; it has the
true ring 1t does not follow because
the minister breaches without notes,
therefore his sermon is not studied nor
written. One of New Englands great
est preachers said to the writer of this
article, that his extempore sermons cost
him more labor than those which he
wrote out in full and read. The young
est preacher now living, may see the
day when the read sermon will be rar-
ity. The progress of the times is in ia
vor of preaching without notes. Let
every preacher employ that method
which is most natural to him, and never
suffer dictation from his people here, no
sooner than they would suffer him to
dictate to them how their domestic af-
fairs should be conducted. If he does
suffer dictatiou, he compromises his
dignity and true manhood. Then with
the boldness of Paul, he may say if oc-
casion arises, "And because of false
brethren unawares brought in, who
came in priviiy TO spy out our liberty
which we have in Christ Jesus that they
might bring US in bondage, TO tDhom
we gave place by suJecfion, no, NOT for
an hour, that the truth of the Gospel
might continue with you. But those
who seemed TO be- somewhat, whatsoever
they were, il moketh no matter 10 me
God accepteh no mans person, for they
who seemed 10 be someuhaf in confer
ence added nothing 10 me-" Paul's sar-
casm is of general application now, as
much as it was in his days. 1t is pre-
supposed that the preacher is as well
acquainted with his profession as is Ell
ther the lawyer or the physician with
theirs; but by many persons he is re-
garded as hireling to bow to their be-
hests.