The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-12-25
ODDITIES IN SERMONS
ANNUAL DlscoURsEs THAT Ans
PAID FOR BY LEoACIEs.

The Lucky London Clergyman Wha
breaches the Golden sermon" Re-
ceives "a Fee OF R15O-The Text Proh-
lem of the .'Museum Sermon"
Every year on Oct. 10 IL preached At
st. Catherine Cree church In Leaden-
hall street the Zion sermon" 1t com
memorates the escape, over two CEN
turtles back, of then lord mayor, Sir
John Gayer, who while travelling In
his repeating the prayer OF Daniel, al
lowed him to pursue his way uEms-
Tested. In gratitude for his miraculous
escape the worthy citizen left diEo0-
lions in his will that commemorative
sermon should be preached annually,
together with sufficient money to carry
this bequest into effect
Every Jan. 80 for 225 years has The
"Assheton sermon" been delivered In
the parish church Of Downham, Ian
cashire. Over two centuries since Eks
Richard Assheton of Downham Hal
left legacy of ia a year, f2 thereof
to be distributed among the poor and
the remainder to be paid to q clergy
man for an annual exposition, on tbs
date of the testator's death, OF Job
xix, %, 20, and Colossians Iii, 8, l.
The "Spital sermon" which ls Deity
cred every Easter before the lord mag
or and corporation of London at Christ
ri tYr 70 ~, - A.,
an old custom by which the bishop &
London appointed some learned CLERKS
to deliver sermon at St. PauFn
Cross on Good Friday as prelude %
three sermons on THE Resurreett6nH
to be given at the pulpit cross In the
Spital on the following Monday. Tues
day and Wednesday by a bashop, 9
dean and doctor of divinity FsaDae
lively
The following Sunday at gt. Paafs
Cross another divine passed judgmGMa
on these discourses, and on this oOea-
sion the mayor and corporation, whs
had on the preceding Monday aAA
Tuesday been CARRIED In searie4, A.
tended, as on Good Friday and BaStsE
Wednesday, robed In violet gowns:
Ere their migration to HOrsham ths
boys Of the Bluecoat school were al
ways present at the ''spital sermon"
Flower sermons are still to be
heard in more than one church. On
Whitsun Tuesday at St. James church,
Mitre court, Aldgate, one Of these b
preached, while at St LeonArdB
church, Shoreditch, a botanical das-
course is, In accordance with the win
of Thomas Fairchild, who died In
1923, annually delivered. At stepney
church the horticultural sermon" calls
to mind the long past days when In
stead Of being surrounded by thoH<
sands of houses the church overtoppod
a country village with its quaint cot
tages and well tended gardens.
Annually on April the inhabitants
OF Twyning, Tewkesbury, attend ths
church to hear sermon upon mAx-
riage preached in accordance with the
bequest of a lord of the manor, who
in 1715 left sum Of money for this
specific purpose. The preacher him
self receives fl, the parish clerk shil-
lings. while f3 los is divided among
the congregation, who last year num-
bered seyenty-one.
The handsome fee of 10 guineas y
paid to the preacher of the accession
sermon" which each year on the ami
versary of the reigning monarch's &c
cession may be heard in Durham cathe-
dral One unusual and, as some may
consider, commendable condition at
taching to this discourse lie that lts
duration must not exceed fifteen min
utes.
This fee, large though 1t seems. 10 In
significant beside the ESQ paid to The
preacher of the golden sermon" which
may be given in any church within
six mile radius of Haberdasherg' hail.
This sermon had it's origin In the BE-
quest Of one William Jones, who many
years since left an annual sum Of
f4O0 to be given to the preacher Of the
most eloquent sermon within the above
limit OF this sum ESQ now goes te
the chosen cleric, while the remaining
$3.50 is divided among poor clerRvmen
of the east end.
Perhaps, however, the most originGl
discourse delivered from an English
pulpit is the museum sermon" which
is annually preached in a little chapel
near the village of Buckland Newton,
Dorchester 1t derives Its name from
the fact that the clergyman, generally
a stranger, finds on mounting the pull
pit that It's desk has been covered vita
various articles, Of the nature Of whieh
he has been kept in ignorance, all q
which are mentioned in the Bible On
these he is required to deliver an sx-
tempore sermon, fitting them all with
apt text and Biblical illustrator
London Standard