Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-02-25
Communicated.
ShOUld Sermons be Read

fancy, had It's origin IN Cne early uayS
of the Reformation, when many OF
those who filled the pulpits Of Eng
laud-Roman Catholic priests, who
had veered around with the Court
being unable or unwilling to preach
the truth, were required to read on
Sundays the homilies of the Church.
Whatever be its origin, the custom, l
n told, is all but universal in Amer
lca; is so in the Church of England,
and. though long opposed by the doaas
and determined Presbyterians of Scot
land, has even there crept into COM
mon use. The latter circumstance is
probably due in large measure to the
fact that the greatest of Scotch pulpit
orators was reader. An example
not to be followed by ordinary NOR
tails! As was well expressed by q
shrewd Scotch woman, in reply to one
who defended reading and cast Dr.
Chalmers practice in the others face.
To the challenge, Didn't Chalmers
read his sermons?" "True," she re-
piled, "but Chalmers was fell read
er. In other words, if I understand
the language Alright, one who reads
with extraordinary power. This he
did, reading, as all will testify who
have heard him, with a vehemence,
enthusiasm and fire as have distin-
guished only the greatest orators. Not
one in twenty thousand preachers can
ever expect read like Chalmers, as
he went on with the impetuosity and
swept all before him with the power
Of mountain torrent Were it the
preachers business only to instruct, to
store the mind with knowledge, to
give forth simple and unimpassioned
statements of divine truth, we should
be content, if it were clearly put,
though it were coldly said; in that
case the reading Of sermon in the
pulpit would lie open to no valid OBJ
j. elton. But since the heart of man
has suffered more than his head by the
Y one great object of the preacher
Is to engage the affections, to turn
their current heavenward. and win
the heart over to God. This is the
work of conversion-that saving and
indispensable change-"a new heart
also will give you,' says God, "and
y new spirit will l put within you !;
and | will take away the strong heart
out of your flesh, and I will give you
Il heart of flesh"
But where, besides convincing the
reason, the object of the speaker is to
engage the affections, rouse the DOR
mant feelings, and carry the heart as
by storm, what man, in his proper
senses, in any other place thar a
pulpit would read his address? Fancy
Demosthenes attempting to WELD the
fiere democracy with a paper in his
hand Fancy Cicero rising in the TO-
rum to launch his thunders at Cata-
line from black portfolio ! These
men knew better. And why, with a
task much more difficult, and involv-
ing interests infinitely more important,
should preachers of the Gospel ham,
per themselves with papers? Some,
as if actually ashamed of themselves,
or of the Gospel, not once venturing
to raise their eyes and look the people
in the face. Does any man believe
that it was thus Paul stood on his de-
tense before Felix, making the tyrant
tremble ?-that it was so Peter preach
cd when, God blessing his words, he
converted thousands by single SER
mon, and, greater fisherman than
ever, gathered them with one sweep
of his net into the Kingdom of Heav-
en-? And our good Protestants might
learn much from the practice of Ro-
man Catholic priests. They never
read their sermons, though that were
more excusable in them than in our
ministers, to whom the pulpit is ia
miliar place. There is little of preach
ing, properly speaking among the Pa
rists abroad but during Lent. Then
they do preach; and many of them,
especially some of the friars, with
great power. You may hear them
often and though they may some
times give a stagger, founder for mo-
nent, they never stick-providing
against such an accident in Italy, per-
haps elsewhere, in an odd way. Ad-
mitted into the pulpit before the con-
grcgation assemble, boy sits squat
ting there. Nobody sees him from the
galleries, for their churches have none.
When the preacher opens his subject
the boy, who is called a Suggerstore,
opens the preachers manuscript
ready as a prompter, whenever the
preachers memory is like to fail him,
to supply the word. A clever device,
which might, perhaps, where needed,
be tried at home, Any way, it shows
the Importance which Rome, very
shrewd ia many things, attaches tc
spoken as against read sermons.
(Concluded next week WIN,