Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-03-01
TALMAGE MAKING A SERMON.
The Noted Preachers Methods Of Pro-
pairing q Discourse-A Crisis.

lss
I make most of my sermons walking
the floor. can always think better on
my feet. | very often dictate sermons to
o stenographer, and after he has written
out his notes | read it over, and by that
time | have placed the substance of it
permanently in my memory. / an
think better standing before an audience
than | a in the privacy of my home;
but it would be a very unsafe thing, de-
pending OH the inspiration Of the mo-
ment. A minister will not do so unless
he is thoroughly lazy. My own rule is
not to go into the pulpit or upon the
platform without enough ideas to occupy
the time usefully, whether / use those
ideas or not. No minister has a right to
60 before a congregation u~nprepared,
especially in these days, when through
the newspapers and many other forms OF
distribution Of knowledge the audience
may happen to know as much as he
docs.
Ny idea is that il a man sits in his
study and carefully writes out a theologi-
cal essay, it may do well for a review or
magazine. but it will not interest a on
grcgation; but no man can lay down q
rule for others. Many are ruined for life
30 far Us work is concerned by trying to
do as others do. EXtemporaneousness Of
speech is best for some, and a thorough
use of manuscript is decidedly best for
others. The temptation which almost
every minister has felt who has acquired
any facility in public uttcrancc is to in
dolence. The extelnporaneous faculty
has been SO much talked about and ex-
tolled that a great many ministers have
sacrificed all their effectiveness in tryinGt to
do things impromptu. Unless aman uses
his pen u good deal in the act OF compost
ton he will soon lack terseness and COM
pacmcss OF expression. ] find that my
b st days for work are Wednesdays and
Tliursdays-cqual distances from the
Sabbath, and the morning of each day
I am generally not observable; but
il is difficult to make an iron rule
in there cities as TO when you will
be seen ard when you will not be
seen. | think Brooklyn is q first ratio
place for ministers. The people generally
allow q pastor in these regions to work in
his own way, and the congregations are
lonicnt AMI not unreasonable in their de-
ndnl~.
] hogan the ministry by writing out
my sermons with great care. and taking
every manuscript into the pulpit AMI ron
Ching myself strictly TO it. But coming
out Of a theological seminary with but
little preparation in the way Of sermon
material, | found the preparation of two
sermons and a lecture a week a complete
physical exhaustion, SO / rctractel from
| that habit and used no notes ut all. My
| first experience in this new departure
YVES marked and unusual. 1t was in MY
village church at Bellville, y. j. Find
ing that ] must stop the exhaustive work
of preparation | resolved on a certain
Sunday night to cxtempOrize. The church
had ordinarily been lighted with lamps,
rs there was no gas in the village, but
the trustees had built a gas house in the
rear of the church, and the new mode Of
lighting the ediilce was 10 he tested the
very night / had decided TO begin my ex-
tcmporaneous speaking. The church was
tlrongcd with people who had come to
see the new mode of lighting. ! had
about ten minutes of my sermon n manu-
script and put it down on the Bible, in
tending when the manuscript gave out
10 launch out on the great sea Of OK.
tem!snsncousness. Although il was q
cool night it was a very hot one for me,
and the thermometer seemed 10 lie about
up to 100 degs. At a very slow rate ]
went on with my sermon, making my
manuscript last as long as possible.
Coming within three or four sentences
Of what ! had written am ia great trcpida.
ton as 10 what would happen when | be-
ean 10 extenpOrizc. suddenly the gas
lights lowered to half their intended size.
| sad within myself ''Oh! if the gus
would only 60 out" and sure enough, as
I uttered the last word Of nv manuscript
the lights were suddenly extinct. Isaid:
"Rrc;hrcn, 1t is impossible for US TO pro.
reed. Receive the benediction." ] went
hone greatly relieved, feeling that | had
been rescued from a great crisis, but
fully resolved that | would break the
bondage Of manuscript and be n free man
In the pulpit, and my habit has been tc
extcmporize ever since. God has made
three books for pulpit texts-the Book Of
Revelation, the Book of Mature and the
Book of Providence. All these books ore
inspired. Christ took most a his text
from the Book Of Nature-''Consider I'll,
lilies" behold the fowls Of the air.
"'Salt is good" 'As a hen gathered hel
chickens under her wing" have only
one idea in the sermon, and that is help
fulness. Every man needs help, unless
he be a fool. In some part Of his nature
or in some Of the circumstances Of hi,
life he needs reinforcement, II men fine
a practical helpfulness in the sermons
prayers and singing Of a church they W.
20 there.-"J. A Mex" in Brooklyn
Eagle.