The San Francisco call., 1896-12-29
HOW PASTORS
MAKE SERMONS
Congregationalists Throw
Light on Their
Methods.
DR.. Adams Studies and Rev.
Philip Coombe Has His Text
Always With Him.
Christian Pastors Listen to an Ex.
tended P an for Japanese
Evangel.zation.

The pastors of the Congregational Mon
day Club spent their meeting yesterday
explaining to one another how they pre-
pare their Sabbath sermons.
Rev. DR.. Adams of the First Congrega-
tional Church said that he passes his fore
Moons all the weok in his study, occupied
in filling his mind with appropriate sub
jects. He always divides his discourse
into three distinct heads; "but 1 take
care" he said, "that these heads do not
stand out like bare, uncovered ribs"
Rev. DR.. Chapman explained that he
studies the people with whom he is
brought in contact during the week and
selects his topic from the ideas that they
bring to his mind. Rev. Philip Coombe
fixes on q text for his morning sermon
early in the week, and from that time
till Sunday comes he has it constantly in
his mind. When he Is attending to his
ministerial duties the text is always with
him. He thinks of it by day and often
by night and gradually evolves the SER
mon from his thoughts and experiences.
Rev. J. A. Crnzan believes in preaching
on topical subjects. and with tins end in
view he keeps an immense indexed scrap
book. When he wants an idea for SER
wealth of matter in his scrapbook, which
is largely made up of newspaper clip
pings.
Professor Lloyd selects text and then
looks around ior illustrations. No impos-
sibly good little boys and girls will satisfy
the requirements of his sermon. He
studies the actual men and women with
whom he is brought into contact and
uses them TO point a moral and adorn a
SUNDAY discourse.
Rev. George Mooar said: "I consider
that a pastor should be always in homo
letic frame of mind" By this, he ex-
planned, he did not consider pastor
should be always COMPOSING mental ser.
mons. but he should be in the frame of
mind which would make him capable of
composing sermons if necessary.
Rev. William c. Pond, DID,, considers
sermon is a message. Sometimes the
sermon makes the text and some times the
text makes the Sermon he said.
The Christian pastors, who are now
holding their Monday meetings at the
Young Mems Christian Association, were
addressed yesterday on Japanese Work, 4"
by Rev. w. A. Coryea, who has charge of
the Japanese mission recently opened in
connection with the First Christian
Church on Twelfth street. Mr.. Coryea
said that TIE mission was not an individ-
ual enterprise, but was one that should
interest all Christian pastors and congre-
cations: ''It is the first work of its kind
among our people in this country he
said. The objects of the mission were
explained to be the Chris tianizing OF
Japanese, the establishment of Japanese
church and the sending of educated
Japanese back to the Mikado's dominions
as heralds of the cross.
At the Methodist preachers meeting,
Rev. +. D. Bovard read a paper on "PhiI-
~ nd In ~ iah n
the historicity of miracles. Rev. G. w.
Beatty. Rev. w. s. Urmy and Rev. Ct. H.
Jones, were appointed a committee to
nominate officers to be voted for at the
next meeting.
Rev. f. s. Brush of Alameda read re-
view at the Presbv terian Ministerial Asso-
citation on the Duke OF Argyll's latest
work, 1.-THE Philosophy of Belief" The
general opinion, both of the speaker and
ministers who took part in the discussion,
was that the Duke OF Argyll had done good
by insisting on God as God of law as
well as of love.
An adjourned meeting of the San Fran.
cisco Presbytery was held yesterday, at
which it was unanimously resolved to give
II. +. Marshall letters of transfer to Nor
rison Presbytery, Orange County, N. ].
Rev. DR.. Hemphill and Rev. DIR. Scott, w ho
had been appointed a commission to pre-
pare fraternal prssbytery letter of trans
fer for Rev. ]. Cumming Smith, sub
mitted a letter to the Indianapolis Pres
bytery speaking in the highest terms of
the reverend gentleman. The letter was
unanimously adopted. Rev. O. c. Her
riott's letter from Minneapolis Presbytery
was accepted.
The secretary of the Home Missionary
Society asked whether the presbytery
would authorize the payment of $500
asked by the congregation of Lebanon
Church, for Rev. Donald Ross. The re-
quest was put to the ballot and was car