Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-08-20

right about 1t but it's Latin. This view
was evidently shared by certain
Edinburgh minister, who being asked
to preach the funeral sermon Of G
miserly brother cleric, chose as his tex
the words, And the beggar died" HI
may, however, have done it unwilling.
| ly, for many mal-apropos texts art
on record. Mr.. Spurgeon once warned
his students to be very particular II
this matter. One brother, he declared
had once preached on the loss OF a shiI
with all hands on board from 80 Ht
bringeth them to their desired haven;
while another, returning from his hon.
eymoon trip, took for his text, 1.-THE
troubles of my heart are enlarged; oh!
bring me out Of my distresses." These
instances Of Mr.. Surgeons can only
be capped by the text Of the country
minister who had been appointed chap
lain to a Jail: II go to prepare a place
/ for you!" There is story Of another
chaplain who addresses the prisoners
on one occasion from the words, III
is good for us to be here" but thii
case wants authorization.
Texts can very often be made pecu-
liarly appropriate to the passing cir
cumstances Of the time. A year OF
two ago a minister in the neighbor-
hood of Glasgow, who had been an un-
successful candidate at the parish
council election, took his revenge or
the Sunday morning by choosing fol
his text the words in. Job, mo doub,
but ye are the people, and wisdom will
die with you. But I have understand
ing as we'll as you. 1 am as one mock
ed of his neighbors: the just, uprigh,
man is laughed to scon." Any con-
gregation might well be excused fol
smiling when the fact was recalled
that the preacher in his address to the
electors asserted that only men Of up
right character" should be chosen. The
text was excellent, but not quite sc
pointed as that chosen by the Rev. H
Paul when he was leaving a church
in Ayr, "And they fell upon Paups
neck and kissed him.
When the old repeating" tunes were
first introduced they so scandalizec
many of the clergymen that the latter
felt called upon to preach special SER
mons against the innovation. One bel.
ligerent parson found his text In Amos
1.-The songs of the temple shall bt
turned into howling;" while another
discovered what he wanted in Acts
Those that have turned the world up.
side down are come hither Also
There is very good story told OF
certain ancient clergyman who hat
undertaken sea voyage for the mrs
time. He was very sick for three
days, but he was able to preach on tht
Sunday; and the worthy man could
think of nothing better for subjec
than the text from Revelation, "Thert
shall be no more sea-" He was thor
oughly persuaded that the drying VI
of the ocean was a part Of the heaven
| ly blessedness to come-for had he no
been very sick on the Atlantic!
Another clergyman, the Rev. Edward
Massey, was persuaded that vaccina'
ton was an evil to be denounced from
the pulpit. To find a text prohibiting
it in Scripture would be a difficulty
with most people; but Mr.. Massey wa:
like the injudicious cleric Of whom i
was said that IF there's an Ill text II
the Bible, that creature is sure to ge
hold of it," and he found his wan
supplied in these words, $50 went SataI
forth from the presence Of the Lord
and smote Job with sore boils, from
the sole Of his foot unto his crown.
After this one would like to know wha
was Coleridge's text when he preached
at Shrewsbury to seventeen persons OF
the hair-powder tax; more especial!
as the author Of the Ancient Mariner
had afterwards to confess to "a mos
censurable application Of text from
Isaiah" (xvi, 11) in a certain tirad'
against fast-days.
Some preachers Of modern times have
shown us how sermon may bt
preached without any text at all; ant
certainly it would seem as If very lit
tie could be made out Of some texts
which have been -eAesen at variou!
times by various divines. DR.. Boyd o.
st. Andrews tells that he once heard
sermon from the text, "A colt, the foa
of an ass" and it is on record tha'
somebody once discoursed from tht
words, And there was much grass II
the place." One divine who died some
years ago at Wellingborough, had &
fancy for texts in which ordinary peo-
pie would generally fail to see even the
elements Of a sermon. Thus, one
morning he preached from the text
And he took from the lions mouth
two legs and the part Of an ear;
while on another Sunday he discourset
from the words, "Nine-and twenty
knives" Very often, as we all know
the text has only the faintest connec.
ton with the sermon; but 1t Is moi
easy to see how a preacher could gee
away" from such texts as these.
Now and again, no doubt, the tex
is everything, the sermon nothing
There is an anecdote Of a London bisn-
op who, having read that story of Johr
Wesley cutting out every word Of
discourse that his servant-maid die
not understand, determined to preach
to a country congregation the sim
plest sermon he could write. He chose
an elementary subject, and took as his
text, THE fool hath said in his heart
there is no God" On leaving the
church he asked the parish clerk what
he thought of the sermon. "Oh, my
lord" said he, lit was very fine-very
fine and grand. I've been talking II
over with Mr.. Beard, and we said how
fine it was. But, after all, we can't
help thinking that there is a Cod" II
really does not do for a preacher tC
forget his audience, or to take
much for granted. A young Scottish
clergyman, fresh from the class room
was allowed on ono occasion to preach
in a certain parish church. Giving out
the text, who can find a virtuous
/