Year: 1861

disc. In short, the ministers are expected to
do all the work, and the people none it.


Again, no minister ough TO be required to
preach two sermons every Sabbath We sup
pose there are fools in every community who
imagine that on the whole, pastor has
pretty good time, and earns his money easily.
We have heard this kind of talk not unfre-
quenty but we give it as deliberate judg-
ment that not one man in 1000 has the power
to write two good sermons week, throughout
his working year, and that not one man
in 500 is equal to the writing Of even 81 first
class sermons year. The hand that writes
this article possesses quite tho average
amount of vitality, but it would shrink from
sermon week, of the ordinary length of
those of Mr. Beecher in the independents
Fifty-two such sermons will fill three octave
volumes. Think Of these volumes of essays,
by the side of Mr.. Bancrofts single volume
that comes out once in 2 Or 3 years and
then think of doubling these volumes and ma
king six of them-and then add to these
weekly lecture and add to that funerals,
pastoral visits, and extraordinary labors of
various kinds to which all ministers are SUBJ
jected. Why, the wonder is that any minia.
ter lives through what all are obliged to do.
None know better than the ministers who read
this article that when they have written one
good sermon, into which they have put their
best power, they are exhausted for the week.
Such man as mir. Beecher is one in mil.
lion and we are inclined to think that even
| he would assent to this statement as applied
to himself. A congregation may be sure that
they do not getany more than there is in a
man, any way and if they prefer to take it
spread out into two poor sermons rather than
in one good one, why we wonder at their
taste, or lack of taste.


Again, as our Sabbaths are now conducted
the idea Of rest is entirely set aside. We
are aware that some good people think
change of employment the bes. kind of rest;
but it seems to us to be the curse of the
nation that we take no time to sit still. There
is no repose and where there is no repose
there is no reflection. We drive through
the week, take no time whatever with Our
oL:ll"nn and families ond then drive through
Sunday in the same way. We believe it is
the fear of the church that fewer services
would lead to more Sabbath desccration and
more careessness, that keeps it up to the old
standard of two sermons day, and some.
times third service~-God pity the poor
man who has to 60 through it We need
less public life and more home life on the
Sabbath. less preaching by the minister and
more lay-effort.


We could preach very long sermon or
this subject but, as it is, we have only space
to hint at the principal points that may be
made. We should rejoice very much if the
efforts of our friends, the superintcndents,
should result in the trial Of an experiment
in the direction which they indicate. We
regard it as far more important that the
children and congregation OF these Churches
meet together at their leisure, on Sabbath al
ternoons to talk and study, than that we have
preaching either Sabbath afternoons or Sab
bath evenings We are not among those
who believe that Christianity would lose any
thing by being managed nationally, or that
men would grow the worse for being treated
like rational beings who are capable OF sclt.
government, and not dependent upon the pro-
visions of certain weakminded Christian
people for the maintenance of their proprIe-
ty."