Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-07-01
From the Baltimore Sun, June 22nd.I
Pepper in Sermons.
IT is BETTER TO GO To SLEEP THAN TO TRY
TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING.

TO GET SOMETHING OUT Ot NOIhlNo'
A large congregation assembled last
evening at Grace Methodist Episcopal
Church to hear the pastor, Rev. DR.. Har-
court, in his second sermon on the PIophet
Jonah. His text was taken from the first
chapter and the sixth verso of the book Of
Jonah $50 the shipmaster came to him
aud said, what melnest thou, o sleeper?
Arise aud call upon thy God" DR.. Hal
court said: "The captain has tui ned preach
era preacher worthy of being heard.
His sermon has the true ring in j.; strong
and startling. Ministers may wnte sell
mons to fill up leisure toar aid preach
them to fill up gap in Sunday services.
but all sermons worth bearing are begOt-
ten by great heart throes; they express the
deepest CONVICTIONS.
"1he snipmaster's sermon has in il MN
things that commend it as model for all
ministers. It has in it the element OF
arousement. Every good sermon has this
quality. Men must be aroused and inter-
ested befoie they can be helped. Their
attention must be scared; then comes ir-
terest, thought and action.
"Men are much better asleep, even in
church, than awake and struggling with
the task of trying to get something out Of
nothing. In sleep physical strength may
be obtained; in feeding on chaff no good
results follow" In illustrating this point
the Doctor related the experience of a min
lister in the West who was greatly annoyed
by one of bis deacons. who was accustomed
to sleep all during the delivery of his SER
mon. The minister went to the deacon
and advised him to put little red pepper
in his pocket, and when he felt himself
growing drowsy to take pinch of it, ga
very good receipt said the deacon, and
then added: "Wouldn't it be better TO put
the pepper in the sermon?"
"The deacon was right. The shipmas
ter was.in earnest. He isaw the danger
which threatened and was aroused to the
necessity of speedy action. To move men
we must first be moved ourselves. The
actor being asked by the bishop how it was
that he and others of his profession could
move nlen SO powerfully by what they
knew to be mere fiction, answered: 'We
actors recite fiction as if it was fact, and
you ministers recite fact as if it was only
fiction .Garrick was right.
IF religion is reality, it is the greatest
of all realities. The captains sermon was
plaip; pointed and effective. These are
elements of strength, without which SER
mon is of very little worth.
can aged woman once travelled great
distance to hear John Wesley preach, and
on coming out of the church she waited at
the door and asked if that was the great
John Wesley who had preached. Then
she exclaimed: why, understood every
word he saidp To move men to action we
must be understood by them. Dean Stan
ley's, Mr.. Spurgeon's and Mr. Beecher's
dol hIa oc Prnrap3a
grim's Progress or Robinson Crusoe.' ,
are often rubbed down to perfect weak
ness.
The story is told of u man who was try.
ing to nail tin shipgle to board fence
with some tacks which he had in his pos
session, but without any success. The tin.
plate was too hard for the fine point of the
taoks. A stranger passing BY and Seeing
bis trouble said to him: 'Neghbor. the
points of your tacks are too f1ne; let me have
a few of them Having received them, he
took the hammer and broke off their points
and returned them to the man, who droy g
them through the tin plate without the
slightest trouble. Sermon points are often
too fine. Less fine points and more strength
is the want of today.
'The shipmasters' sermon had the ac-
of the many-piped organ-the
storm that whistled and roared through the
rigging OF the vessel. and the hearty re-
Sponses of the convicted and tcrror-3tri ck-
en- seamen. Men tell us sometimes that it
is the lightning that kills, and not the
but il is also true that ligh thing
without the accompaniment of thunder
never kills. And sermon without the
arousement in iS is simply sheet lightning.
harmless!"