The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-15
Old TIME SERMONS.
Overgenerous Measure OF Oratory From
the Proa chers.

Bishop Weldon In nc Ntaetefnfh Century.
There Is doubt that q good many sermons are
drcadfully dull. But 1t Is an element In the dcu1ty
of preaching that ciergymen. In preparing and de.
llvering their sermons practically debarred
from adopting some accepted orAt0rtcai means.
Thus the use OF hunor IN q sermon 10 almo0 un-
known within the Church Of England. N0noon-
formist preachers Hike the late Mr.. Spurgoon have
sometimes employed humor In their sermons With
striking effect. When he preached III the story u
true, upon the Martyrs Memorial at Oxford and
asked where 1t wos possible to and martyrs u tho
present day md suggested that II tho Bishops and
clergy OF the Church OF England wero the martyrs
they would be sure 70 burn we'll, they ware % dry
he resorted TO device which might o. might not
be allowed and approved by his own CONGREGATION,
but would certainly crate upon the critical tasss Of
Churchmen.
Time was when sermons like speeches were sub.
jcct TO interruption. Chrysostorns were. for e.
ample. at Constantinopie; and the interruption. II
was disturbing. enlivening. There Is, indeed
a story that Chrysostom once preached . sermon
against tn. practice OF applaudlng preachers BY
clapplng OF hands and stamping OF feet and that
his congregation received even that sermon With
applause. but picty, perhaps decorum. has long
since forbidden the expression OF approval or dls-
sent in churches. II would be Thought strange
thing that any listening TO sermon should cry
Hear hear" or mo- no." Such Calculations arc
wholly undesirable they are fatal to reverence
But the absence OF them enhances the dificu!ty OF
preaching. For when an audience gives no visible
or audible sign OF emotion now can speaker ten
what the effect OF his words is. whether they have
any effect at all, The secular speaker knows more
or less n he Is In touch with his hearers, but q
preacher never knows
Thomas Boston. minister OF the Gospel at Ettr-k.
In sermon Fear and Hope. Objects Of the
Divine Competency" after an Introduction In four
sections. deduced six doctrines. each sub divided
into from three 10 eight heads: but the last doctrine
required another sermon which contained "a prac-
tical improvement OF the whole" arranged under
eighty six heads. A sermon on Matthew III. %.
was subdivlded into seventy six heads: this text
indeed. Mr.. Boston preached four such sermons.
A Scotch preacher, not In the present degenerate
age. has been known to preach from Ave to six
hours at a stretch and sometimes when one
preacher had finished his sermon another would
begin. and there would be a succession OF preachers
delivering sermon upon sermon, until the unhappy
congreg ations were kept listening 70 the Word"
for as many as ten hours without break.
There may be at the present time a certain inter
est attaching TO a contemporary account OF one Of
the fast days connected with the framing OF the
Westminster Confession OF Faith. After Dr.
Twisse had begun with brief prayer, Mr.. Marshall
prayed two hours mos, dvinniy. After, Mf.
Arrowsri.A preached nm hour. then psalm there
after Mr.. Vines prayed near two hours. and Mr..
Palmer preached an hour, and Mr. Seaman prayed
near two hours, then a psalm"
But Il Is not only In regard to the length of
mons that the public taste has undergone change.
II may specify four celebrated preachers of the
Church OF England-Bshop Andrewes, Bishop
Jeremy Taylor, Dr. South and Bishop Butler-u 10
safe TO say that there Is not one of them whose
mons would be appreciated or perhaps tolerated
at the present day.