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

matter the ministry ought TO give more
earnest heed to the sentiment of the con-
gregation. Certainly, we are not to fall
at the snap of the first listless watch, for
our message is of God and we must some
times press it upon unwilling ears. But
what is gained by examining it into weary
ears? Really, the pew has some rights
which the pulpit is bound to respect. IL
the lecture is dull the people can get up
and go away. If the stump speaker in
suits them they can hiss him. How stands
the case in preaching? Gods law COM
pels Christians not to forsake the assem-
bling of themselves together and mans
law compels them TO behave themselves
when they do assemble. Their only ref
uge from long winded persecution is In
sleep-ot which solace my own congrega-
ton not infrequently avail themselves.
1t is sometimes said that an age of short
sermons is an age of small preachers; and
the regulation sermon of eleven minutes
during the middle ages along with the
pulpit pigmy of the same dark period is
cited in triumphant Illustration. | think
they get the cart before the horse. IL
wasn't so much the small preacher COM
Ing out OF the short sermon as the short
sermon coming out of the small preacher.
imagine it would have been about as well
II the most of those preachers had not
preached at all Who will undertake to
say that no thirty minute sermon can be
great? | think ! have heard very helpful
ones that were even shorter. AS a side
comment upon the long sermon and big
preacher theory / soberly submit that In
New England, during the two-hour SER
mon period, they had n church official
whose special duty 1t was to move around
and poke up the inoffensive sleepers. AS
no time rule can be fixed, wherein lies
the remedy? Outside of every preachers
prayerful common sense, it lies in a SER
mon well planned and thoroughly pre-
pared, and nationally delivered.
The last point let us consider;
THE Delivery of a Sermon" The time
such paper as this ought to consume is
more than exhausted. ! will not lay all
the blame upon the committee in giving
/ me a double barreled subject for, like
/ some of the preachers have been berat
/ ing, / got enamored of my subject, and
lust couldn't quit, Finding myself COM
1 PEELED to bore my audience or butcher my
theme, have deliberately chosen the first
alternative, presuming, of course, upon
| your long suffering generosity. BY way
/ OF reinsurance, permit me TO state that |
1 haven't really a great deal more to say.
sermon well prepared is not hard to
! deliver. The Evolutionary transgressions
are committed mostly by men who are
trying to preach without sermon. Logic
is always dignihed, original thought IS
] L
steal awkwardness may be hard or i'm
| possible for some to entirely overcome,
and perhaps no public speaker is alto
gether free from mannerisms, but i am
( encouraged to believe that no true min
/ lister OF Christ. delivering his Masters
message, need ever make himself ridieu-
! lous. Nevertheless. there is much In q
( good dlivery. Demcsthenes thought So
| when 10 the question What is eloquence?' 90
I he replied, "Eloquence is delivery. deiiv-
/ cry The Held OF pulpit oddly and eIo-
/ cutionary blunder is Inviting hut time
passes. and | refrain. Permit me. how
I ever. TO emphasize few Of the principles
Sermon delivery should be:
I |. Onhand. No preacher is likely 10 us.
the pen TOO much in his study. but many
I are too prone 10 the manuscript In preach.
/ ing, II is too much to say that God neve,
sent "A man Who couldn't learn 10 SPEAK
effectively offhand. still less would as.
! sert that there are no subjects or occa.