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

all honest TRANSACTIONS and, while know
but little of the so-called higher critt-
cism,' ! Will venture the assertion that
those sermons of yours which emhody your
true pulpit achievement are built upon
rock texts which have nothing to fear from
legitimate criticism, however destructive.
Preparation in any line presuppo5es
plan, A painless sermon Is misnomer.
II Is very important to have IA good plan.
but still more important to form the con-
eciontious resolve TO always have plan.
The sermon plan is Indispensable
|, To the preacher himself-In prevent
Ing repetition and waste. Ii sometimes
takes u hunting dog till midnight to tree Il
coon. The trouble is tho coon was out on a
sort of painless forage. If the dog had
only known where the coon at last found
the chicken roosts and thence struck out
to his hollow. he might have saved himself
hours of cold trailing and whole forest
full of noise. Have we never seen a
preacher running cold planless SER
mon trail, crossing and doubling his own
track, and roaring out the endless. disap-
pointing prophesy Of gameY ! think we
have seen and heard him. I'm pretty GER
tain we have all run that trail Ourselves
A plan in preaching is good,
.. For the congregation You know IT
! has been said that order Is heavens !irst
/ law. The spectacle of order is fascinat-
ing, even to thoughtless people, The chalk
/ lecturer seems now TO be coming into his
inheritance, and 1t bids fair TO prove a
goodly one, What Is the secret? The
4 audience see the illustration growing, il
black and white, right before their eyes,
and even the seven sleepers" stay awake.
| The sermon plan operates upon the same
principle, by unfolding to the minds ave
a symmetrical body of thought Some
preachers say some excellent things in
q painless way. but the effect is similar
TO what we might imagine. were the
chalk lecturer to sketch lot of shapcly
heads and arms and legs at random over
the blackboard.
Be sure, then, 10 have a plan, but don't
parade II. Let the boy who, having IA
| lshed his first lesson in drawing wrote
at the bottom, This is a horse, serve Tar
warning, Recently at funeral I noticed
a very beautiful and elaborate lcral de-
sign. OF course, there was wire frame
somewhere. but the florist had taken care
that nobody should see 1t, John Wesley
had way OF telling his congregation, a.
the outset Just what he proposed 10 es-
tablish. including even the closing appli-
cation. AS an orthodox Methodist preacher
l greatly admire John Wesley, but have
my doubts about taking the audience TOD
much into our preliminary confidence. For
specially argumentatlve sermons such as
Wesley frequently preached, his way may
have been best, but. as q rule, | think we
ought 10 utilize the natural curiosity al
the people by delaying Its qualification.
Who would ever read a novel II the preface
were to tell how the characters were going
TO turn Outg
The plan OF sermon will depend, OF
course upon the subject. audience and
occasion. However. there is q law OF men.
tai reeepuviiy. TO which al public adj
dresses should conform. The illustration
OF this law we hrd In the diniag room
Net everybody would as soon hear preach
ing as TO eat, but the plan of civilized
dinner may Furnish valuable hint foI
the plan OF gospel sermon Barring
Is supposed 10 consist Of three courses
soup. solid meats and dessert, When my
grandmother told me- la the long ago.
that certain Quakers she once knew h"'
} gan on cake. | was keen to follow theb
example Increase Of years. II not Of wis.
} dom. has brought me to realize that thu