Year: 1861

Dull. SERMoNs.-lt appears to me that IN these
days of hurried life, great and valuable end Is
served by class of things which all men OF late
have taken TO abusing-to wit, the extensive
class OF dull heavy, unintercsting good, sensible,
pous sermons. They afford many educated men
their only intervals of waking leisure. You are
in a cool, quiet, solemn place; the sermon Is GO
ing forward you have a general Impression that
you are listening to many good advlces and I'M
portant doctrines, and the entire result upon
your mind is beneficial; and at the same tlIne
there is nothing in the least striking or startling


TO destroy the sense of leisure or to paihluily
arouse the attention and quicken the pulse
Neither is their syllable that can jar on he
most fastidous taste. All points and corners OF
thought are rounded off. The entire composition
is in the highest degree gentcmany, scholarly,
correct; but you feel that 1t is quiet Impossible
to attend to it. And you do not attend to 1t
but at the same time, you do not quite turn your
attention to anything else Now, you remember
how dying father, once upon time. besonght
his prodi gal to spend an hour daily in solitary
thought ; and what beneficial result followed.
The dull sermon may serve an end as desirable.
In church you are alone, in the sense OF beng
isolated from all companions, or from the posi-
bility of holding communication win anybody
and the Wearisome sermon, utterly useless other
wise, is useful in giving a man time to think, in
circumstances which will generally dispose him
to think seriously. There is rcstfnl feeling,
too for which you are better. II is n line thing
to feel that church is place where, If even Tor
two hours only, you are quite free from worldly
business and cares. You know that all these are
waiting for you outside but at least you are
from their actual endurance here am persnad
ed, and | am happy to entertain the persuasion,
that men are often much the better for being
present during the preaching OF sermons 10 which
they pay very little attention. Only some such
belief as this could make one think, without much
sorrow, of the thousands of discourses whch are
preached every Sunday over Britain ana ol the
class of ears aud memories to when they are
given. You see that country congregation com
ing ou of that ivy-covered church in that beau
tifu church yard Look at their faces, the
plOwman, the dairy maids the drain dlggerS, thc
stable boys what could they do towards taxing
in the gist of that well-reasoned, scholarly, ele-
CANT piece of composition which has occupied inc
last half hour? Why, they could not understand
a sentence of it, Yet it has done them good.
The general effect is wholesome. They have got
a little push they have felt themselves hoating
on gentle current, going in the right direction
Only enthusiastic young divincs expect the mass
of their congregation to do all they exhort them
to do. You must advise man to DO thhg u
hundred times, probably before you eau Be' nih
to do it once. You know that breeze, blowing
at the rate of thirty five miles an hour does very
we'll If it carries a large ship along in its own
direction at the rate of eight. And even So the
practice OF your hearers, though truly influenced
by what you say to them, lags tremendously be'
hind the rate OF your preaching. lie content
my friend, If you can maintain u movement, sure
though slow in the right way. And don't get
angry with your rural flock on Sundays, II you
often see on their blank faces, while you are
preaching. the evidence that they are not taxing
in q word you say. And don't be enllrely ais
cOuraged. You may do them good for all that
And if You do good at all, you know better thah
to grumble, though you may not be doing Il IN
the fashion that you would like best have
known men, accustomed to sit quiet, penslVe
half attentive, under the sermons OF an easy
going but orthodox preacher, who felt quite IN
dignant when they went to a church where their
attention was kept on the stretch all the time the
sermon lasted, whether they would or not. Ihey
felt that this intrusive interest about the DIS
course, compelling them to attend, was OF the
nature of an assault, and of an unjustlable IN
fraction of the liberty of the subject Their
feeling was, What earthly right has that man
to make us listen to his sermon, without getting
our consent? We go to church to rest and 10
he compels US 10 listen !'- Recreaons of Country
PaTsOn.