Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-03-03
rALkiAGE MAKING A SERMON.

Tie Noted Preachers Methods Of Pre-
pairing a Discourse-A Crisis.
I mako most OF my sermons walking
0o floor. can always think better on
my feet. very often dictate sermons to
ss~tenographer, 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. l can
think better standing before an audience
than l a in the privacy of my home;
but it would be a very unsafe thing. do
pending on the inspiration Of the mo-
ment. A minister will not do so unless
he Is thoroughly lazy. My own rule is
not to so into the pulpit or upon the
platform without enough ideas to occupy
the time usefully, whether / use those
IDEAS or not. No minister has q right to
90 before a congregation unprepared,
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 con-
gregation; but no man can lay down q
rule for others. Many are ruined for life
% far as work is concerned by trying to
DO as others do. Extemporaneousness Of
apcech Is best for some, and a thorough
use Of manuscript is decidedly best for
AfhnrE Tha tapaRFE+aa, H-EsaI az.zk
every minister has felt who has acquired
any facility in public utterance is to in-
dolonce. The extemporaneous faculty
has been so much talked about and ex-
tolled that o great many ministers have
sacrificed all their effectiveness in trying to
do things impromptu. Unless man uses
his pen a good deal in the act Of compost
tion he will soon lack terseness and COM
pactness Of expression. / find that any
bst days for work are Wednesdays and
fhursdays-equal distances from the
Sabbath, and the morning Of each day
am generally not observable; but
q Is difficult to make an iron rule
IN these cities as TO when you will
be seen and when you will not DO
seen. | think Brooklyn Is a first rate
place for ministers. Tho people generally
allow q pastor in these regions to work in
his own way, and the congregations are
hnient aad not unreasonable in their de-
manl,.
began the ministry by writing out
my sermons with great care, and taking
every manuscript into the pulpit and con-
timing myself strictly 10 it. But coming
But Of a theological seminary with but
little preparation in the way of m
material, | found the preparation OF two
sermons and q lecture q week q complete
physical exhaustion, 20 | rctracte1 from
that habit and used no notes at all. Ny
first experience in this new departure
We marked and unusual. II was in my
village church at Bellville, N. J.. Find
Ing that 7 must stop the exhaustive work
Of preparation | resolved on a certain
Sunday night to extemporize. The church
had ordinarily been lighted with lamps,
as 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 edifice was 10 be tested the
very night I had decided 30 begin my ex.
tcn~poraneous speaking. The church was
CbroDgcd with people who had ome to
sec The new mode Of Lighting. / had
about ten minutes Of my sermon in manu-
script and put it down on the Bible, in
tending when the manuscript gave out
n launch out on the great sea Of ex.
temlsraneousness. Although il was q
cool night IL was a very hot one for me.
and the Thermometer seemed 10 be about
up 10 100 degs. AT a very slow rate l
went Oh with my sermon. making my
manuscript last as lorg NJ possible.
Coming within three or four sentences
Of what I had written and In great trcpida-
ton rs TO what would happen when / be-
gan 20 eNtemporize, suddenly the gas
lights lowered 10 half their intended size.
I snd within myself ''Ohl " the gas
would only 60 outl' and sure enough, as
UTTERED the last word Of my manuscript
the lights were suddenly extinct. Isaid: