The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-02

much walking. Christianity appeals
throughout to the aesthetic, as well as to
the moral nature of man. Parnassus was
the glory of paganism, and we have our
loftier Mount Zion. Our Savior himself
recognized the office of the imagination
in the frequent use of parallels, for every
mental picture must be addressed to tho
Imagination, and the parallels are pictures,
We said the sermon appealed to the log
ical imaginative and emotional. what
now about emotion? We came close to
that in stressing the inspiration of the
sermon conclusion. However, emotion is
not identical with enthusiasm, nor is it to
be confined TO the peroration. Emotion Is
comparatively short lived hence there is,
in the normal sermon, less of 1t than OF
imagination, and, of course, far less than
OF reason Nevertheless, emotion holds its
lawful place, wherever the appeal Is to
personal conduct, 1t melts the ice OF rea.
sons logic to spiritual drinking water, and
warns the will to saving action. OF all
public discourse, emotion belongs pre-
eminently to the sermon True, our relig.
ion is not founded upon feeling, nor docs
faith steer by It; but as long as love Is
the fulfilling of the law, emotion will re-
main IN the test of gospel sermon. Emo
ton is expressed in a variety of feelings.
and the hand Of pulpit mastery should
study, yes, study, how to sweep all the
chords; but the dominant sermon tona
should be pathetic Redeemng love was
also dying love- and the gospel offers a
normal challenge to our tears. Not every
/ laugh is out of place in the pew, but
would rather have the power TO make the
people weep. Ii is true there are tears
and tears. but the growing tearlessness OF
pulpit and pew has caused my own OPP
timsm good deal Of trouble
I Again, the best sermon plan requires
9 Il Twin tka sub ri
sermons that delighted you, which slipped
like quicksilver through the cracks of
your memory. There were no retaining
/ points, as the dentists say. Regard must
I be I'D TO the subject, for the division
! must be natural. While there is no charm
in the number three, | believe that is
about the right number of points in SER
mon. allowing for an introduction and a
conclusion, though an explicit re wAlld
defeat the end II proposed.
/ Lastly, under this head. a plan in the
sermon presupposes a stopping place. How
( long ought sermon to be? That de-
Ponds. Somebody has said that the length
depends upon the thickness heard a
three hour sermon once and found it too
short. | have heard three minute gospel
/ talks, and found them too long. Not ac-
cordtng to the clock but the congregation.
/ IL the preacher can really hold attention,
one hour Is not too long, the year round.
y DNh WHO - Suulcleut LOT tnat measure :
a good many think they are but the con-
gregation is frequently OF different opin-
ion. Excessive length is largely due to
repetition John Wesley wrote TO one of
his preachers. THE first quarter of an
hour you preach your sermon the second
quarter you repeat It. and the third you
undo it, Let we ask a fair question:
How many preachers have you heard COM
planned Of for short sermons? In my own
acquaintance | can recan but one. TIE
trouble was not so much that the people
cared 10 hear him longer, but, as he in
variahly stopped at fifteen minutes, they
inferred that he was too lazy to preach
lenFer On the other hand, how many
gif'a and godly men have we got
known whose usefulness was crippled by
I preaching too long, We can all discern
! tho situation when we occupy the pew.
but bow hard TO realize IL when we stand
! In the pulpit Brethren. believe in this