The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-09-01

and whose amen makes every one glad,
show what is likely to happen when
this part of the service is left to care
for itself. Before entering the pulpit,
go by yourself into Gods presence,
come into communion with him and
think what you can say that will bring
your people into the same blessed ac-
cord.
We come now to the delivery of your
sermon. Shall you extemporize or read
your sermons2 Any complete answer
to this question requires more space
than we have here. can only offer
a few words. That extemporaneous
preaching is the ideal method, no one
will deny. He who is successful in it,
has very great advantage over the
man of equal ability as thinker and
writer who reads his sermons. But the
extemporaneous preacher who is
failure, is very great failure. Nothing
can be more painful to a cultivated
audience than listening to minister
attempting to extemporize his sermon,
who founders, wanders from the way,
gets lost, leaves his sentences unfinish
ed, continually repeats himself and SO
on. Successful extemporaneous preach
ing is very great art. am very
much in doubt whether any person
possesses it in any completeness,
naturally. You may think that you
have the extempore gift. 1t is natural
and easy for you to talk. But the art
of consecutive thinking, conciseness
and clearness of expression, has to be
attained. Fluency Of speech does not
supply ideas, and reliance upon it will
very likely give you the reputation of
Gratiano for speaking an infinite deal
of nothing" Usually successful ex-
temporaneous preaching is only ac-
quired after long and painful discipline.
You must write much, at least, at first,
to form the habit of expressing your
self concisely and clearly. think most
ministers who have the ability to write
sermons, may become fairly good ex-
temporaneous preachers, if they will
try hard enough and long enough. If
you can attain success in this art, by
all means do so.
If you find that preaching without
notes is not your best way, deliver your
sermon from manuscript. You may
preach from manuscript with almost
! the power Of auccessf:l ezssr porane-
Gus speech. Much OF the prejudice
against manuscript preaching comes
from the practice of merely reading
sermons. If you go into the pulpit
without being thoroughly familiar with
what you have written and filed with
its spirit, however good your thoughts
and finely expressed, they will
have but feeble effect to what they
might have. A sermon cannot be
otherwise than mechanical and cold, if
the preacher be compell ed to keep his
eyes on the written page all the time.
Have you never had what might have
been good sermon spoiled for you
because the preacher was so unfamiliar
with what he had written that he could
not keep his place? Be so familiar
with your manuscript that it will only
be necessary for you to glance at the
written pages. Delivered from notes
in this way, your sermon may have
almost as much warmth and directness,
as if you had no notes.
You will find it helpful to cultivate
a natural and easy manner while speak
ing. You have doubtless heard min
listers who did not seem to know what
to do with themselves in the pulpit,
who could find no place for their hands.
This irritates an audience and detracts
from the interest and force of a sermon.
Usually self consciousness accounts for
this. Be so full of your service that
you will not think of yourself, and, as
rule, your attitude will be natural
and easy.
Do not think that fine voice and
clear enunciation necessarily make a
forcible and interesting speaker. l
have heard preachers who possessed
these qualities in large degree, and
whose thoughts were fine, who were
yet tiresome. The delivery moved on
with almost uniform volume to the
end. An audience very soon wearies of
this, be the language and thoughts
never so fine. Your delivery should
have variety as well as your matter.
Y ou will find that it will rest your
congregation and renew the interest,
to adopt frequently the conversational
style.
Avoid showing irritation in the pull
pit, however much you may be annoyed.
That will sometimes occur which is
irritating, which makes it difficult to
hold the attention of the audience,
and if you have no notes, to keep the
thread of your sermon. But you can
better afford to get on poorly for time
than to show you are annoyed. once
knew very fine preacher to stop in
the delivery of most excellent sermon
and ask a mother, not over pleasantly,
to remove crying child. He might
just as well have finished his sermon