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 Extempore preaching 
 
p' 
 
WAR 1 1 1912 
 
 EXTEMPORE 
 
 PREACHING, 
 
 BY 
 
 WILDER SMITH. 
 
 HARTFORD: 
 
 1884. 
 
COPYRIGHTED BY 
 
 BROWN & GROSS, 
 
 1884. 
 
 PRESS OF 
 
 TuE Case, Lockwoou & Beainard Co., 
 
 UAliTFORU, CONN. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 I. Ret.ative Advantages. 
 
 II. Preparation, Special. 
 
 III. Preparation, General. 
 
 IV. Arrangement. 
 V. Illustrations. 
 
 VI. Style. 
 
 VII. Memory. 
 
 VIII. First Attempts. 
 
 IX. Delivery. 
 
 X. Physical Conditions. 
 
 XI. Spiritual Conditions. 
 
 XII. Repeating. 
 
I. 
 
 RELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 
 
 The question, of the relative advantages of written 
 or extempore discourses, is of great practical import- 
 ance to every minister of the gospel. It does not, 
 indeed, rank with matters touching faith and morals; 
 but among the minor considerations affecting the 
 ministerial career, there are few of greater conse- 
 quence than this. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable that tlie controversy 
 between these two methods has lasted so long, and 
 is not yet settled. It emerges in the very inception 
 of our Protestant churches. 
 
 Hooker, in his Ecclesiastical Polity^ speaks con- 
 temptuously of "Sermons without book; sermons 
 which spend their life in their birth, and may have 
 public audience but once ; " while the non-conform- 
 ists eagerly defended them. 
 
 The prejudice of the Scottish Kirk against the use 
 of notes in the pulpit is well known. Still, so exact- 
 ing are the demands upon the pulpit in Scotland for 
 highly intellectual discourses, that the preachers feel 
 compelled, for the most part, to write their sermons, 
 and at much painful cost commit them to memor3^ 
 
 2 
 
2 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 If we turn to tins country, it appears that in Kew 
 England, and among those of New England descent, 
 there has been a strong feeling in favor of written 
 sermons ; while in the Presbyterian church south, 
 and among the greater part of the Methodists and 
 Baptists, the decided preference lias been for an ex- 
 temporaneous style. But of late the mutual tolera- 
 tion and drawing together of Christian denomina- 
 tions is apparent, not only in borrowing from each 
 other church music and liturgic forms, but in the 
 style of preaching as well. For written sermons are 
 occasionally seen in Methodist pulpits, and extem- 
 pore sermons are by no means uncommon, among all 
 denominations, and before the most critical audiences 
 of Boston, Philadelphia, or New York. 
 
 The Rev. Heman Humphrey, president of Am- 
 herst, in his letters to a son in the ministry, written 
 in 1842, says, " I come now to a question which has 
 of late occasioned a good deal of discussion, in some 
 parts of the land, as to the comparative advantages 
 and disadvantages of preaching, with or without 
 notes. The General Assembly of the Old School 
 Presbyterian church, as you know, at their last meet- 
 ing in Philadelphia, recommended the dispensing 
 with the use of manuscript preparations altogether, 
 and sent down the record to all the Synods and 
 Presbyteries of their connection. What effect this 
 advice has had upon the large and very respectable 
 body of ministers, to whom it was addressed, I am 
 not informed ; I presume, however, that things re- 
 
RELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 6 
 
 main very much as they were before." About 
 twenty years later, an attempt was made to force a 
 similar motion through the Scottish General Assem- 
 bly, but failed. 
 
 Thus the discussion has continued long and is as 
 far from settlement as ever. While the advocates 
 of extempore sermons have enjoyed, perhaps, the 
 best of the argument, the written sermons have re- 
 tained a large proportion of the practice. There are, 
 in the United States, a few eminent extemporaneous 
 preachers; there are thousands of ministers, of high- 
 est abilities and largest usefulness, who read every 
 word of their discourses, from fully-prepared manu- 
 scripts. 
 
 There is much to be said in favor of the latter 
 method. The ancient treatises are almost unani- 
 mous in favor of writing, as the best preparation for 
 public speech. " Stilus optimus et praestantissimus 
 dicendi effector ac magister," said Cicero, " The pen 
 is the most effective teacher of eloquence " ; and this 
 saying became a proverb in the famous Roman 
 schools of rhetoric, for we afterwards find Quinti- 
 lian commenting on it, and demanding, equally with 
 Cicero, assiduous practice with the pen. And yet 
 neither of these masters of ornate and polished dic- 
 tion would have ventured to appear before an audi- 
 ence with a manuscript in his hand. Whatever was 
 carefully written out must be duly memorized, and 
 delivered as if impromptu, if they would satisfy the 
 nice ears of a Roman audience. 
 
EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 The written sermon allows, or seems to allow, 
 more care in the arrangement of arguments, and in 
 the selection of exact and felicitous language ; it 
 demands a certain amount of laborious preparation ; 
 more confidence exists in the mind of the speaker, 
 nor is the audience, seeing the manuscript, appre- 
 hensive of failure ; a sermon, once prepared, will do 
 duty several times, and thns a store of digested ma- 
 terial can be laid aside for service, in times of sick- 
 ness, or when the mind is distracted by other cares ; 
 the people have become so accustomed to this meth- 
 od, as not only to tolerate it, but in many sections 
 of the country to be impatient of any other. All 
 these and many other arguments favor a written 
 style. Especially should beginners, in the difficult 
 art of public speech, avoid too venturesome essay in 
 flight from the secure perch of a written discourse ; 
 they may catch a fall, the memory of which will 
 embarrass all their life. ^ The stern discipline of the 
 pen, maintained during ten or twenty years, is requi- 
 site for obtaining that finish of style and copiousness 
 of diction which render public speaking a pleasure 
 to the hearer. The example of so many illustrious 
 men, who have been leaders of the church for gener- 
 ations, and have left their published discourses as evi- 
 dence of their power, is a testimony not to be lightly 
 passed over, of the possibilities inherent in this ven- 
 erable and respectable manner of preparation for the 
 pulpit. Written sermons could not have obtained 
 so wide popularity, nor so long have maintained 
 
KELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 5 
 
 their position, unless there were solid reasons to be 
 adduced in their favor. 
 
 At the same time, equally weighty reasons support 
 the custom of extemporaneous, or, as we should pre- 
 fer to call them, unwritten sermons. Speech is 
 natural to all men, writing is the cultivated habit of 
 a few. Speech is practiced from earliest childliood, 
 on all possible occasions ; writing is the painful 
 effort of secluded hours. The language of persua- 
 sion, of passion, of entreaty or command, of affec- 
 tion, lies nearest to the vernacular of common speech. 
 Those w^ho write are compelled, if they would make 
 their discourse effective with the people, to imitate 
 as nearly as possible the language of every-day life. 
 The written language is naturally the style of schol- 
 ars, of those accustomed to books, of the cultured and 
 refined. It contains a larger proportion of the for- 
 eign elements of the English tongue, and more in- 
 versions of the sentence, than properly belong to the 
 language native to men's business and bosoms. To 
 avoid this scholastic element, and bring the style to 
 the requirements of a popular audience, requires a 
 distinct effort, which is a constant embarrassment to 
 the writer, whereas a speaker does it unconsciously. 
 There would seem an intrinsic absurdity, were we 
 less accustomed to it, in rising to address an assem- 
 bly, with a manuscript carefully laid upon the desk, 
 and emotion a week old, instead of uttering the 
 warm and immediate promptings of the heart. 
 
 If we seek the analogy of other professions, the 
 
 2* 
 
6 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 prevailing practice is uniformly in favor of extem- 
 pore speech. No lawyer would venture to address 
 a jury from manuscript ; at least, we have never 
 heard of its being done, save in one notable instance. 
 Even when the case is argued before the court, and 
 the brief has been carefully written out, printed, and 
 put in the hands of the judges, the successful lawyers 
 assure us that they must go before the bench, and 
 argue the case, in spontaneous speech, in order to 
 secure to their argument a due attention. The sen- 
 ators and members of Congress write much and often 
 upon any subject before the public mind. Long 
 letters to their constituents prepare them to consent 
 to the views of the leaders. Editorials are written, 
 for newspapers at home, or for the metropolitan 
 press. Perhaps a speech is prepared, with much 
 consumption of the midnight oil, and, with expres- 
 sions of applause duly intermingled, is printed in 
 the Congressional Olohe. But, after all this, if the 
 senator should rise in his seat and undertake to read 
 the speech, the rapidly-thinning benches, or the as- 
 siduous eiibrts of his brother senators to finish their 
 morning correspondence, would soon convince him 
 that even veteran statesmen prefer an unwritten ad- 
 dress to however elaborate a written speech. To at- 
 tempt the latter on the platform of a political conven- 
 tion, or in presence of an excited popular audience, 
 would be such an absurdity, that probably not the 
 most timid speaker would dare attempt it. 
 
 In times of revival, when the fires of conviction, 
 
RELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 
 
 and the fervors of awakened zeal are arousing a 
 slumbering church, the temptation is strong, in the 
 most conservative pulpit, to leave the sluggish man- 
 uscript at home, and trust to the inspiration of the 
 hour. 
 
 Unwritten speech is more effective, intrinsically. 
 A given quantity of thought and expression will go 
 much further, if it apparently arises spontaneously 
 from the occasion. There may be attained a fresh- 
 ness of illustration, and appositeness of tliought, by 
 the preacher who is an adept in extempore speech, 
 which are impossible of achievement by one who is 
 confined to the reading of previous preparations. In 
 the ardor of delivery, new thoughts come to the 
 mind on wings of fire, vivid metaphors and similes 
 arrive in troops, eager for a hearing. Any accident- 
 al occurrences, such as the dimness or brilliance of 
 the lamps, the outcries of a mob, the departure of an 
 aged man, have been seized by skillful speakers as 
 occasions of eloquence. Yet they certainly could 
 never have regarded them other than as disagreeable 
 interruptions^ had they been confined to their notes. 
 
 Extempore sermons require, not indeed less time, 
 but less of vital energy, in the preparation, than do 
 written ones. Accordingly, more energy is left for 
 deep and protracted study. An indolent man might 
 use this surplus as an occasion for the flesh, but such 
 an one, if he used written discourses, w^ould exchange 
 frequently, or preach old sermons. There is a direct- 
 ness of appeal natural to unwritten addresses, which 
 
8 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 is far less likely to be attained, in the opposite 
 method. It can be, indeed, but as a rule it will not. 
 Fervid and impassioned appeals to the conscience of 
 the hearer are generally born of the intense convic- 
 tions which sway the preacher's mind at the close of 
 the service. They come tlien, naturally, indeed inevi- 
 tably. The soul has burst its conventional bounds, 
 and like a river t.oo full for its banks, overflows in a 
 resistless current of entreaty, or warning, or expos- 
 tulation. 
 
 It is not necessary to argue for the exclusive use 
 of the extemporaneous method. The truth, as is so 
 often the case, does not lie here in the mean, but in 
 the extremes. Both methods have their advantages, 
 and will be cultivated by one, sedulous to use all his 
 pX)wers in the service of the Master. For great and 
 formal occasions, possibly for the principal Sunday 
 service all through his life, for difficult funeral dis- 
 courses, for discussion of the profoundest themes of 
 tlie gospel, the preacher will wisely adhere to the 
 time-honored custom of written discourse, at least in 
 the older communities, and among the fastidious 
 audiences of the larger churches. Before ministerial 
 associations, or on other occasions of critical interest, 
 it needs large confidence to forsake the orderly paths 
 of written speech. But innumerable other occasions 
 arise, on which it is a real advantage to be able to 
 speak in an effective and finished manner, without 
 previous elaboration of a manuscript. On the Sun- 
 day evening, when the congregation is largely com- 
 
RELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 
 
 posed of young people, or of strangers who have 
 strayed in without very much interest in religion, 
 and whose attention must be caught by a livelier 
 style of discourse; at prayer-meetings, and weekly 
 lectures, and frequent funerals, for which no ade- 
 quate time of preparation is allowed ; in the debates 
 of conventions, and councils, at popular gatherings 
 for temperance or other reforms, and generally when- 
 ever the minister is liable to be called upon for a 
 " few remarks," — an immense advantage accrues to 
 one who has so trained himself that ripe and iinished 
 speech has become a second nature. He cannot be 
 caught unawares. His occasional services will be 
 more popular than his set discourses. 
 
 There is a reflex influence, seldom appreciated, 
 but extremely important, in weighing the relative 
 advantages of written or unwritten sermons. That 
 is, each style, if practiced with care, modities and 
 perfects the other. The preacher who writes habi- 
 tually, with utmost pains for many years, will have 
 attained a power of consecutive thought, and of con- 
 structing well-balanced periods, which are most com- 
 monly absent from the discourse of speakers, un- 
 trained by the pen. On the other hand, the self-con- 
 fidence felt by a habitual extempore speaker, his 
 readiness for all" emergencies, and power of thinking 
 on his feet, enable him to read his written discourses, 
 with less of that rigid confinement to his manuscript, 
 which is the principal defect of those who have al- 
 lowed themselves a servile adherence to it. Our 
 
10 EXTEMPORE PKEACHING. 
 
 opinion on this point is confirmed by the authority 
 of the ancient writers. Thus Cicero (de orat. 1, 33) : 
 '' He who comes to speech from the custom of writ- 
 ing, has such a training, that when he speaks with- 
 out premeditation, he still preserves the finish of a 
 written style. As, when the rowers quicken their 
 pace, and then stop rowing, the boat still retains the 
 impulse of the oars and continues on its course ; so 
 in a long oration, the extemporaneous additions retain 
 the style and force of those parts which had been 
 previously written." In like manner Quintilian 
 (Inst. or. 10,3): "We must write, therefore, as 
 carefully and as much as we can ; for, as the ground 
 by being dug to a greater depth becomes more fitted 
 for fructifying and nourishing seeds, so improvement 
 of the mind, acquired from more than mere superfi- 
 cial cultivation, pours forth the fruits of study in 
 richer abundance, and retains them with greater 
 fidelity. For, without this precaution, the very 
 faculty of speaking extempore, will but furnish us 
 with empty loquacity, and words born on the lips." 
 Written sermons are, on the whole, more concise, 
 more pungent in expression, more freighted with 
 thought, nicer in discrimination, more delicate in the 
 play of fanc}^ Extemporaneous sermons, of the 
 better class, are marked by boldness and simplicity 
 of thought, fervor of emotion, vivid illustration, an 
 idiomatic and vernacular diction ; and are more alive 
 with the passions and interests of the present mo- 
 ment. Each may impart some of its valuable qual- 
 
RELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 11 
 
 ities to the other. It will do no harm, but will be a 
 mutual benefit, if the preacher do his best altern- 
 ately in either mode. For freedom and variety, for 
 immediate contact with the people, for readiness of 
 resource on unforeseen occasions, for all the countless 
 smaller occasions, on which a written sermon would 
 be an impertinence, he will assiduously train him- 
 self to a ready utterance of well-considered thought 
 that need not shame the most august pulpit. For 
 nicety of chosen words, elegance of metaphor, lucid 
 arrangement of scripture texts, perspicuous and terse 
 definition of doctriue, careful analysis of character, 
 he will retire to his study, and with pen in hand labo- 
 riously correct his manuscript. 
 
 There is much of, so to speak, extempore writing 
 not to be commended. A sermon, for example, 
 must be prepared, and few hours remain in which to 
 do it. The pen travels with frantic haste, as the 
 hour points to midnight on Saturday ; or even rushes 
 along towards the end as the bell is tolling for ser- 
 vice on Sunday morning. The discourse hastily 
 written, uncorrected, hardly legible, with the ink 
 not yet dried, and the leaves in disorder, is seized, 
 and tlie belated preacher breathlessly mounts the 
 pulpit stairs, hardly conscious of what he has done, 
 or what effect it is likely to produce. If, however, 
 he has the capacity of extempore speech, he would 
 much prefer to take a text and make a brief 
 analysis, then sleep as well on it as Webster did on 
 his reply to Hayne, and go calmly to church, trust- 
 
12 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 ing to his previously accumulated stores of argument 
 and illustration. 'Not that the latter method is rec- 
 ommended, save on an emergency, but it seems pref- 
 erable to the haste, and lack of finish, and almost 
 irreligious temper of the former. The habit of care- 
 ful writing induces a habit of adequate preparation. 
 The faculty of ready speech supersedes the necessity 
 of unkempt and hasty v^^riting. Each style has thus 
 a powerful restraining influence upon the other, likely 
 to make both more perfect than either alone would 
 be. 
 
 There are many popular anecdotes afloat which 
 show a keen appreciation on the part of the people 
 of the infelicities attending the exclusive use of writ- 
 ten sermons. The numberless stories of preachers, 
 who have left the sermon at home, or have brought 
 the wrong one, or have allowed " thirdly " to fly out of 
 the window, or dropped the paper as Irving did in one 
 of his earlier discourses, or have lost the end of the 
 sentence, or who have written in appropriate places to 
 weep here and pause there, indicate how close to 
 absurdity lies the venerable tradition of written dis- 
 courses. Without doubt the people at large are 
 more taken with even a tolerable measure of success 
 in extempore speaking than with the ablest addresses 
 from a manuscript. It is partly because they better 
 appreciate the inherent difliculties of speech, partly 
 because they enjoy that to which it is easier to listen. 
 
 It is true that the extemporaneous method has its 
 dangers also, perhaps even greater ones. For a safe 
 
RELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 13 
 
 mediocrity conimend iis to a manuscript. There 
 is something in it at any rate, while extempore 
 sermons liave been preached wliich contained 
 nothing but the fatal facility of empty phrases. 
 A halting speaker, who hesitates for the next 
 word, requires frequent correction of his sen- 
 tences, and leaves many of them in ungrammatical 
 confusion ; a verbose speaker, uttering grandilo- 
 quent words in a lavish flow, as if the flood-gates of 
 speech had been opened and could never be shut ; 
 an inaccurate speaker, never sure of his facts, or 
 dates, or scriptural quotations; an illogical speaker, 
 forgetful of protasis and apodosis, of undistributed 
 middle, and who is impaled, so to speak, on the horns 
 of his own dilemmas ; a speaker, whose thoughts are 
 rambling, or disconnected, or insignificant — and all 
 these are patent faults of the extemporaneous style 
 — tempt a cultivated hearer to sigh for the modest 
 security of a manuscript. He who would succeed 
 in this high and diflicult art must contentedl}^ brave 
 these dangers, and many more, must incur the appre- 
 hension of listening friends, and the cold criticism of 
 enemies, the mortification of frequent failures, the 
 distress of having done less than his best. 
 
 Is it, then, worth while to attempt the cultivation 
 of an extemporaneous style of sermonizing? Has 
 it advantages which compensate for all its difficulties 
 and dangers ? We answer, unhesitatingly, yes. Not 
 that it should supersede the written sermon, nor, per- 
 haps, in the older churches rank equally with it ; but 
 
14 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 on a great variety of occasions it is a most useful 
 capacity. All ministers must speak extemporane- 
 ously at least one-third of the time. Our design 
 will be accomplished, if we can induce the careful 
 maintenance even of that proportion. Moreover, 
 there can be no reasonable doubt, among those who 
 are familiar with the effects of preaching, that while 
 the learned and cultivated prefer on the whole a 
 written style, it is far otherwise with the vast masses 
 who most need the gospel. As a rule, the latter are 
 attracted only by speech, which is or wdiich appears 
 to be extemporaneous. They delight in a ready and 
 forcible address, tilled with practical thoughts, and 
 with illustrations taken from common life. If it be 
 our object, not merely to delight the cultured few, 
 but to impress, convince, and benefit the unlettered 
 many, doubtless no furnishing is more requisite than 
 the faculty of extempore speech. Especially is it 
 true, that the attenuated audiences of Sunday even- 
 ing can only be retained and increased, if at all, by a 
 nevv' and vigorous style of popular preaching. Some 
 clergymen have tried to attain this end, by attractive 
 music, and in the larger cities it cannot be dispensed 
 with. But this will not long avail to draw and in- 
 terest the people, unless the sermon be of that simple 
 structure, homely and penetrating diction, apt meta- 
 phor, and telling appeal, which are the most natural 
 fruit of the extemporaneous method. And among 
 the newer churches, especially in the West, there is 
 incessant demand for this popularizing of pulpit dis- 
 
RELATIVE ADVANTAGES. 15 
 
 course, on Sunday morning as well as evening. The 
 people not only listen with impatience, they will not 
 come a second time to hear a preacher who seems to 
 them dull or uninteresting. The graduate of our sem- 
 inaries who can only read his sermons, however excel- 
 lent, will, in the newer states, be often mortified to 
 find himself delivering his beaten oil to empty pews, 
 while some incoherent ranter across the way has 
 drawn a crowd, and, for the time being, reyolutionized 
 the town. It is not that the people admire ignor- 
 ance or incoherence. But they do admire, and al- 
 Avays throng to hear, facile and fluent speech upon 
 whatever subject. 
 
 Preaching the gospel is a diftieult art, even for 
 those who possess every advantage. Any contribu- 
 tion, however humble, which promises assistance in 
 it, will not be disregarded by the diligent student. 
 The recommendations made in the following chap- 
 ters have, at least, the merit of having been tested by 
 actual use, and as such are proposed with some 
 confidence. 
 
II. 
 
 PREP AEATION— SPECIAL. 
 
 Before proceeding further with the discussion it 
 is necessary to prevent misconception by defining 
 what is meant by an extemporaneous style of preach- 
 ing. The remark of Dr. Emmons, that " the chief 
 requisites of an extemporaneous preacher are ignor- 
 ance, impudence, and presumption," could only have 
 been called forth by harangues of a very different 
 quality from anything recommended in this volume. 
 The same caustic divine is quoted by Dr. Smalley 
 as saying : " It is a great blessing to be able to talk 
 half an hour about nothing. The great body of 
 extempore preachers are p?-o tempore preachers." 
 There is thus an ambiguity in the word "extem- 
 pore," which allows much witty animadversion. An 
 extempore sermon, " from the time," may mean a 
 discourse, whose suljject, thoughts, and arrangement, 
 as w^ell as language, arise from the promptings of the 
 moment; or, it may mean, one in which all the 
 preparation has been made that is possible, save 
 that it has not been spoken as written, sentence by 
 sentence. Dr. Sliedd in his Homiktics endeavors 
 to define this method, by saying that ''extempore," 
 in this connection, means, not from the present time, 
 
PREPAKATION, SPECIAL. 17 
 
 but from all time. The extemporaneous preacher, 
 lie says, speaks from all his past experience, using 
 the accumulated thought and knowledge of all his 
 former study. But, as Dr. Shedd very properly adds, 
 this is equally true of a written sermon ; for, if it be 
 a good one, it will be an expression of the writer's 
 whole previous life. There is a current anecdote, 
 that when a celebrated divine had preached a sermon 
 of unusual ability, a friend asked him, "Doctor, how 
 long did it take you to write that sermon ? " " Forty 
 years," was 'the prompt reply. All the treasures of 
 his ripe experience in the world, all the wide reading 
 of many yeaj-s, the trained skill of innumerable ser- 
 mons written and delivered before, had conspired to 
 the perfection of that one discourse. So it will not 
 sufficiently define an extempore sermon to say that 
 it is one which draws upon all the past training of 
 the speaker for its eifectiveness ; for that is equally 
 true of a thoroughly-prepared manuscript. 
 
 An extemporaneous sermon, then, is one on 
 which all possible labor may have been previously 
 expended, but which relies upon the occasion for the 
 language in which it is expressed. It may even 
 happen that it shall have been completel}^ written 
 out, once and again, for there are extempore preachers 
 who spare no pains; but the manuscript is left at 
 home and its words are allowed to drop from the 
 memory. This latter is recommended by Dr. John 
 Hall in his Yale lectures on preaching, as his chosen 
 method of preparation for the pulpit. It is a very 
 
 3* 
 
EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 admirable one, and ranks among tlie best modes of 
 preparing a finished extemporaneous discourse. - 
 
 It may be asked, here, if the words were forgotten, 
 what use in writing them ? Or, if the discourse has 
 once been written, wliy not read it? To the first 
 question we reply, it is not possible to prepare too 
 carefully; to the second, that a new and electric 
 quality is added to extempore speech, which is seldom 
 compassed by reading from a manuscript. Gener- 
 ally, however, the written notes will be ample, if they 
 embrace about one-fourth the words of a sermon. 
 The proposition and definitions should be written 
 in full, with extreme care. Indeed, it is advisable 
 to write and re-write them several times over, in 
 order to secure clearness, compactness, and brevity. 
 Next, the divisions of the subject and its logical 
 connections must be written in full, that the chain 
 of reasoning may be accurately linked, in due 
 sequence. The skeleton of the sermon having been 
 thus prepared, it will sufiice to indicate illustrations, 
 historical instances, or scriptural quotations, by a 
 single word that recalls them to the memory. When 
 we reflect Jiow large a proportion of any discourse 
 is taken up by these last, we shall see that ample 
 room is allowed in our estimate of one-fourth the 
 words, for a very complete statement of all the 
 thoughts that are new and peculiar to it. In fact, 
 it will be a sermon of unusual originality, if one- 
 fourth of it is so novel as to recpiire a full develop- 
 ment in writing in order to unfold it clearly to the 
 mind of the speaker. 
 
PREPARATION, SPECIAL. 19 
 
 Perliaps it is a subject wliicli he has treated many 
 times, as, for instance, tlie Atonement. All the 
 principal theories that have striven to elncidate it 
 are familiar to him. He has often meditated the 
 scripture texts that hear most directly npon it. 
 l^nmberless ilhistrations have crowded his mind 
 relative to every shade of the subject. Its magnitude, 
 mystery, grandeur, have held him in awe. Its 
 unspeakable benefits to humanity have frequently 
 called forth his enthusiasm, and have been the basis 
 of many an appeal to his hearers. All that he can 
 do, therefore, in any new sermon on the Atonement, 
 is to select some phase of the great theme, and 
 dwell upon it for the edification of the audience. The 
 special features of the discourse will properly be fully 
 delineated in his brief, while all that is of a more 
 general nature, and that would belong equally to 
 many other sermons on the same subject, is suffi- 
 ciently indicated by catch-words. 
 
 It will be easily inferred, from what has been said, 
 that an extempore sermon demands as much pre- 
 vious effort and preparation, as a written one. If 
 there be any difference, the former requires a greater 
 diligence and more thorough study. The niistake 
 of many, who have tried this method and failed in 
 it, was in supp)osing that something good could be 
 obtained without labor. But emphatically in ex- 
 tempore preaching, from nothing, nothing comes. 
 A hastily-chosen subject, a few disjointed thoughts, 
 vague remembrance of illustrative facts, will not 
 
20 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 satisfy any one, least of all tlie preacher himself. 
 On the other hand, no toil is more fruitful than that 
 bestowed on the unwritten sermons of the earlier 
 years of our ministry. It not only improves tlie 
 given discourse, it secures a large stock of material 
 for future use. 
 
 When the skeleton has been carefully written out, 
 the next thing in order is what the old writers call 
 " meditation " of tlie subject. Each head and sub- 
 division will be taken in its order, and made the 
 topic of protracted study. All the books in the 
 preacher's library, that tlirow any light upon them, 
 will be examined afresh. Encyclopedias will be ran- 
 sacked to give historical references their required 
 accuracy. If any proposed illustration is drawn from 
 the sciences, the proper treatise will be consulted, in 
 order to secure absolute correctness. For, nothing is 
 forgiven the extemporaneous preacher. If he were 
 reading from a manuscript, the audience might take 
 for granted, that lie had studied his subject, and 
 might allow his statements to pass without critical 
 examination. But they are thorouglily alert to 
 watch for blemislies in an extempore sermon, at least 
 until the preacher has perfectly won their confidence, 
 and every assertion will be challenged, his facts ques- 
 tioned, his dates doubted, his very pronunciation dis- 
 puted. He need not shrink from this ordeal. He 
 has had a liberal education. He has the week in 
 which to prepare the special theme. No need of 
 saying anything he is not sure of, so long as there 
 
PREPAEATION, SPECIAL. 21 
 
 are other things, that may be spoken to edification. 
 It is as inexcusable to make mistakes of fact, or mis- 
 statements of doctrine, as it would be for a teacher 
 before the class to be ill-prepared on the lesson. 
 
 It is a good plan, also, to meditate the subdivisions 
 of a discourse to a much greater extent than is actu- 
 ally required for the sermon in hand, and to pursue 
 the thought into all its ramifications. Even though 
 it may not be needed, or used, a sense of power is 
 acquired in familiarity with the subject, and ability 
 to speak on it to any extent. It is as if one were 
 appointed to lead a party through the forest, and 
 should, in order to qualify himself for the task, first 
 go through the forest in every direction, and become 
 perfectly familiar with it. He will not take the 
 party over all the paths, in which he himself has 
 traveled ; one patli is enough. But he can more 
 easily select the best" path, and feels secure against 
 losing his way, if he knows the forest from begin- 
 ning to end. A new subject is like a virgin forest. 
 The preacher at first ^timidly blazes a road through 
 it. But after many days of study and meditation, 
 he knows it thoroughly, and can begin anywhere, 
 and go through it in any direction. This is a most 
 important qualification, for taking his audience along 
 with him. They discover, very soon, that his most 
 accidental words are the fruit of long consideration. 
 He evidently knows more about it than they do, and 
 they willingly follow a competent leader. An occas- 
 ional blemish of language, or infelicity of expression, 
 
22 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 will not be noticed, but there is no excuse for lack of 
 familiarity with the thoughts cognate to. the theme. 
 It was the preachers business to know them. If he 
 did not, he should have left the subject for the pres- . 
 ent, and have disconrsed upon something he did 
 know. 
 
 If we analyze Robert Hall's tremendous sermon 
 on " Modern Infidelity considered with reference to 
 its influence on society," which the author assures us 
 was not committed to paper until after it was deliv- 
 ered, as he was not in the habit of writing his ser- 
 mons ; we are struck, not only by the majesty of the 
 thought and the splendor of the diction, but by the 
 evident familiarity of the speaker with every phase of 
 infidelity, which he had contemplated in all its ghastly 
 details, before uttering his terrible arraignment of 
 the principles of the French Revolution, and the then 
 fashionable skepticism. This appears both from the 
 notes appended to the discourse, and from the very 
 structure of its magnificent periods. It was the re- 
 sult of intense and protracted thought upon all parts 
 of the subject. As all minds were then filled with 
 apprehension on account of the sanguinary results 
 •of the new philosophy, it was less difficult to pre- 
 pare, or to listen to, such a virile discourse, than it 
 would be now, even supposing the preacher to have 
 the abilities of Robert Hall, which certainly have 
 not been ofteii matched in the history of oratory. 
 But the point, to which attention is directed, is the 
 necessity of long-continued, thorough, and detailed 
 
PREPARATION, SPECIAL. 23 
 
 study of the subject, before one can speak upon it 
 witli any degree of power. 
 
 The " meditation " does not exhaust the labor of 
 preparation required by an extempore sermon of 
 the first class. In order to acquire flexibility of lan- 
 guage, and readiness of expression, it is necessary to 
 '(go over the whole mentally, and state fully in as fin- 
 lished diction as we are capable of, the proposed dis- 
 •course. This would better be done at least three, 
 and the writer has often done it six times, before 
 feeling satisfied that due preparation had been made. 
 1*^0 attempt to retain the same words each time is 
 recommended. Indeed, it is better not to have the 
 same expressions. If the mind is in a fertile condi- 
 tion, the thoughts will easily clothe themselves in 
 suitable language; and the fact of their having been 
 stated in a variety of ways before-hand will conduce 
 to affluence in the presence of the people. One 
 must be very much embarrassed to fail in uttering 
 a thought that has been formulated already several 
 times in the mind. The ideas of the sermon can 
 also be in this way set forth mentally, in several 
 different styles, plain, forcible, ornamental, or other- 
 wise, so that a particular part can be afterwards 
 adapted to the moods of the audience ; or the whole 
 remodeled in character, should the congregation be, 
 as it often is, difi:erent from what w^as anticipated. 
 It may chance that, on a rainy day, the audience is 
 principally composed of men, who appreciate a solid 
 discourse full of argument and plainly expressed. 
 
24 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 Or it may happen that, on a line da}^ there is pre- 
 sent an unusually large number of children and 
 young people. In such a case, the speaker is for- 
 tunate, who has in reserve ample stores of illustra- 
 tion, for engaging their attention, and fixing the ser- 
 mon in their memory. A speaker who is confined 
 to any one set of words, or any given style, has 
 greatly diminished his power. 
 
 A caution may properly be interposed at this 
 point not to bestow a disproportionate amount of 
 effort upon the first half of the discourse. The 
 writer has listened to preachers who began well, but 
 failed in the conclusion ; their exordium was senten- 
 tious and directly in the line of the subject ; the 
 thought was well laid out and effectively developed ; 
 but its further illustration was languid, and its appli- 
 cations of a very vague and general sort. Such a 
 sermon might be compared to a stream starting in 
 the mountains, vigorous and clear, but afterwards 
 grown turbid and lost in the sands. The remedy 
 for this is to give, in the preparation, as much atten- 
 tion to the close as to the commencement. As the 
 mind is apt to flag in meditating an entire subject, 
 it is well to begin sometimes at the middle and pro- 
 ceed to the end, or even to give an entire forenoon 
 to the applications and termination of the discourse. 
 Thus a due proportion will be observed in the parts 
 of it, and the commencement will not be unduly 
 protracted. 
 
 The sermon liaving been properly meditated and 
 
PREPARATION, SPECIAL, 25 
 
 suitably ex}3ressed, next in order arises tlie necessity 
 of fixing in the memory those features of it that the 
 preacher wishes to have obvious to liis recollection. 
 Particular precepts for assisting the memory will be 
 given in a subsequent chapter. Our object at this 
 time is merely to show how much and what parts of 
 the sermon must be retained. And in the first place, 
 we should say, make no attempt to remember words. 
 They are the most fleeting of things. Their evanes- 
 cence is like an airy mist, which disapipears in the 
 grasp. Moreover, a subject duly meditated, as was 
 long ago observed by the poet Horace, will find no 
 lack of words in which to express its thought. In like 
 manner, Cicero remarks that " copiousness of matter 
 produces copiousness of language." I^or is it essen- 
 tial to remember all the steps of the argument in 
 detail. If they are logically connected, and flow 
 naturally out of the theme, they will recur to the 
 mind of themselves at the pro] )er time. The things 
 which are essential to be remembered are the text, 
 the main proposition derived from it, the principal 
 subdivisions and the chief illustrations. There 
 ought, also, to be a clearly-defined object before the 
 speaker of what he wishes to accomplish b}^ the dis- 
 course. To aim at notliing and hit it, ig the infeli- 
 city of many unwritten, as of written sermons. 
 These few points should be gone over so often as to 
 become a part of our mental organization for the 
 time being. They can be so vividly impressed upon 
 the mind, that it is hardly possible to forget tliem. 
 
26 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 It will conduce to easy recollection of the outline, 
 if it is based upon a textual division, or arises natur- 
 ally from the thought of the chapter. Then each 
 clause of the verse, or tlie verses of the context, of 
 themselves suggest tlie proposed treatment. No bet- 
 ter illustration of what is here meant can be given 
 than is contained in the sermons of Rev. F. W. 
 Robertson. They are among the noblest discourses 
 that have been published during the century, and 
 are pertinent to our present purpose, because, al- 
 thougli thoroughly prepared, they were not written 
 out nntil the evening after their delivery. The 
 author reported them for a friend, w^ith no thought 
 of publication. These sermons are nearly all either 
 textual, being based upon the natural divisions of 
 the text ; or they follow and elucidate the thoughts 
 of an entire cliapter, as in the celebrated lectures on 
 the Corinthians. Doubtless tlie preacher's memory 
 'was largely aided by the naturalness of his divisions. 
 The thought, though far from commonplace, was 
 obvious to the mind, which had once developed it 
 from the text. Indeed, the connection is so perfect 
 that it is hard for even a casual reader to forget the 
 striking ideas that, under his magic touch, seem to 
 spring from the text of their own accord. 
 
 There is* one danger in becoming familiar with 
 these sermons that, it is so easy to remember their 
 outlines as to tempt the preacher to reproduce them 
 in his own discourses : which is a further proof of 
 the ease with which a properly-developed outline is 
 
PREPARATION, — SPECIAL. 27 
 
 carried in the mind, and is a cogent encouragement, 
 to tlie beginner, that he need not apprehend a fail- 
 ure of memory, if only the outline is a clear, and 
 logical one. 
 
 In the appendix to Robertson's life are given the 
 notes of two lectures on Genesis, which are worth 
 studying as an illustration of his method of prepar- 
 ing for the pulpit. They were written on the backs 
 of old letters, pai'tly in ink, 'partly in pencil, and 
 were evidently carried in his pocket and enriched 
 by the thoughts that occurred to him in his rambles. 
 These were not taken into the pulpit, but an abstract 
 of them was jotted down, containing merely the 
 heads of the discourse, and a few leading thoughts 
 under each ; and even this was dropped out of his 
 hand as soon as he had fairly begun his sermon. 
 The notes are ver^^ full, covering two or three closely- 
 printed pages. They embrace every idea and shade 
 of an idea, the scriptural quotations, and several ap- 
 plications. If the smaller connecting words should 
 be supplied, they would probably constitute a toler- 
 ably full report of the sermon as it was finally 
 preached. 
 
 Dr. R. S. Storrs delivered in 1875 three fascinat- 
 ing lectures, before the Union Theological Seminary 
 of New York, which have since been published, 
 under the title "Preaching without Notes." In 
 them he gives, by implication, his own method of 
 preparing extempore sermons. After preparing the 
 plan, which he says should be " simple, obvious, 
 natural, and clearly-articulated in its parts," he 
 
28 EXTEMPORE PKEACHING. 
 
 would think the subject carefully through, making a 
 brief memorandum of such passages in literature, 
 historical examples, and scenes in nature, as may be 
 suggested to the mind. On a reperusal of the notes, 
 on Saturday evening, other thoughts will occur, 
 which may also be noted down, while the former 
 notes are reviewed. In preaching, he would only 
 dwell upon those parts of the outline which present 
 themselves obviously to the memory, as a successful 
 speech requires that tlierecollective faculties be held 
 
 i in abeyance so that the " spontaneous, suggestive, 
 creative powers may have continual and unhindered 
 play." 
 
 In contrast with the methods already described, 
 it is the advice of some of the ablest speakers to 
 prepare the discourse without committing a single 
 
 ^ word to paper. This, as we have been informed, 
 was the method suggested by a distinguished states- 
 man to one of the ablest living American preachers, 
 He said that, in his opinion, the best way of prepar- 
 ing sermons, was to compose them in the mind, 
 fully and perfectly, then preach tliem, and after- 
 wards to write out and correct them, if they are 
 to be preserved. Judging by the results, in this par- 
 ticular instance, this must be an excellent method of 
 preparation ; but it requires more maturity of mind, 
 a more finished style, riper scholarship, than can be 
 usually predicated of beginners. To conceive the 
 discourse as a whole, separate it into its component 
 parts, keep them distinct from each other, and ex- 
 press them elegantly, without even the simplest out- 
 
PREPARATION, SPECIAL. 29 
 
 line on paper, as a string to liang tlie pearls npon, 
 is a mental effort somewhat too severe, until years 
 of discipline have thoroughly trained the intellectual 
 faculties. Moreover, few preachers, it is to be feared, 
 would have the resolution to sit down deliberately 
 on Monday, and write out the sermons of the pre- 
 vious day. Mondays are usually days of discour- 
 agement. The reaction from severe work has set 
 in, and the mind woukl much better be relaxed and 
 suffered to lie fallow for a day. Unless, however, 
 the sermons are w^ritten out with some degree of full- 
 ness, they will very soon pass from the memory, and 
 become as faded and as hard to restore as the first want- 
 ing on a palimpsest. It seems to us, therefore, that 
 this method, although an available one, is liable to 
 very serious disadvantages, in practical use. 
 
 It may be reasonably objected that any of the 
 modes of preparation hitherto' described, ranging as 
 they do, all the way from a completed manuscript 
 to a discourse fully elaborated in the mind, leave 
 very little that is of an extemporaneous nature in 
 the sermon as finally spoken. This objection is well 
 taken. It is for this reason that the writer prefers to 
 call them " unwritten," rather than extempore ser- 
 mons. But it seemed best to retain the title under 
 which they are popularly mentioned. A weightier 
 objection lies in the fact that the amount of time and 
 effort required for their elaboration, w^ould seem to 
 be better expended, and witli more lasting results, 
 upon a manuscript. But no one, wlio really desires 
 to succeed in the extemporaneous style, will begrudge 
 
 4* 
 
30 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 any effort, however costly, that can secure that re- 
 sult. He is willing to train himself, at least, as care- 
 fully as the organist who leads his choir ; . and the 
 latter must practice for years before he can venture 
 upon the simplest tune before a great congregation. 
 But, as the organist, having once learned, with infi- 
 nite patience, the art of playing, can easily play 
 afterwards any tune, or improvise to the delight of 
 cultivated audiences ; so the pains required by early 
 efforts at extemporaneous preaching have their re- 
 ward in after years. Each sermon well studied 
 makes the subsequent sermon more easy. Treasures 
 of language, information and illustration, are hidden 
 away in the mind. Innumerable topics of thought 
 have been made familiar. Confidence is gradually 
 attained, which enables the speaker to stand without 
 trepidation before the largest assembly. The mem- 
 ory becomes so trained that one reading of the 
 brief will fix it indelibly in all its parts. And after 
 a half score of years of conscientious preparation 
 of unwritten discourses once a week, the preacher 
 will have reached sufiicient mastery of the art to 
 speak on an emergency with very little special study. 
 It is true there are some preachers, as there are 
 some musicians, who can never get on smoothly 
 without their notes. These would do well to confine 
 themselves to manuscript discourses. But if any 
 consider it worth their while to attempt the more 
 popular style, they may be assured that it is possible 
 of attainment by most men; but only after a severe 
 and protracted discipline. 
 
V 
 
 in. 
 
 PKEPAKATIOK, GENEEAL. 
 
 It will very sensibly diminisli the labor of pre- 
 paring any single sermon if the preacher has accu- 
 mulated previously a store of, so to speak, the 
 raw material from which sermons are made. This 
 is useful for all preachers, but is almost essential for 
 an extemporaneous preacher; for while a written 
 sermon may be put together of set design, by the 
 hard labor of a few hours, an extempore one, to be 
 successful, must be a kind of growth. It must arise 
 with a certain spontaneity, and, as it were, develop 
 itself in the mind. This requires time, and often a 
 long time. The only way, therefore, to have a suf- 
 ficient supply of material for sermons is to make 
 special provision for it. It is a good plan to have a 
 large blank book, or several of them of uniform 
 size, and. the pages numbered. Loose sheets can be 
 used, and have been recommended by Dr. Dale in 
 his Yale lectures, but they are apt to be lost. Our 
 design contemplates the preservation for years of all 
 the notes that may be made. If worth making, they 
 will be worth preserving. There is no greater, or 
 more foolish, waste than that of a speaker who 
 allows his seed-thoughts to become scattered, and 
 
32 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 who hunts vaguely around for a text or a subject as 
 he may happen to want one. If prudent, he will 
 preserve them as carefully as the farmer his seed- 
 corn, or the nurseryman his young trees. Tliey may 
 be insignificant now, but will grow presently to 
 something valuable. The blank book should always 
 be at hand to receive any suggestions that may occur 
 to the mind in study or reading. Especially if one 
 has the habit of reading the Bible every morning 
 when the mind is fresh, the sacred pages will sparkle 
 with suggestions of every kind suitable for edifica- 
 tion of the people. Yiews of the divine nature, of 
 human need, of the majesty of God's law, of the 
 mercy of Christ, of the value of prayer, will be sug- 
 gested, not altogether new, perhaps, but fresh and 
 in new connections. This parable describes a cer- 
 tain man in the parish with vivid accuracj^ That 
 consolation is needed by some family in trouble. A 
 precept is seen to strike at the root of a popular 
 vice. As the thought comes, it should be noted down 
 w^ith all that the mind furnishes on the subject. It 
 may be only a line or two, or it may be several 
 jjages. Let the thoughts come as rapidly as the 
 pencil can record them", without any attempt at order 
 or elegance of expression. There are few hours. of 
 real study so barren as not to furnish one or more of 
 these seedlings of a sermon. In the course of a year 
 several hundred would be accumulated. As, how- 
 ever, many of them will relate to similar themes, 
 when the preacher begins to consolidate them, 
 
PEEPARATION, GENERAL. 33 
 
 he will be fortunate if the year has furnished a hun- 
 dred distinct subjects suitable for sermons. These 
 notes can be written in succession in the book and 
 easily posted by a system of cross references to the 
 several pages, on which the same subject is treated 
 of. For example, on page ten is a thought relating 
 to prayer, and on page fifty another. If the figure 
 10 be placed opposite the latter, and 50 in the mar- 
 gin opposite the former ; the moment the eye falls 
 on either, it knows where to look for the related 
 thought. The blank book becomes in this way what 
 might be called in the language of the merchants, a 
 "journalized ledger" of our thinking. Much time 
 is thus saved in hunting for kindred thoughts, and 
 after a little time whole skeletons of sermons will 
 seem to start of themselves from the closely-written 
 pages. 
 
 In reading, also, other books than the Bible many 
 thoughts will arise in the mind, and especially many 
 illustrations of scriptural texts, historical facts, bio- 
 graphical reminiscences, scraps of poetry, quotations 
 having the racy flavor of proverbs, in short, a mul- 
 titude of things germane to popular discourse. 
 These may either be transferred to the note-book, in 
 connection with some scripture text, or if too long 
 they may be indicated by a reference. It is surpris- 
 ing how many materials for sermons one will find, 
 if alert for several months together to this particular 
 point. The world is full of analogies of spiritual 
 truth, human life overflows with instances of its 
 
34 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 power, or the sad necessity for it. The sermons will 
 thus gain a variety and fullness in the clustered 
 thoughts that are not possible to one who fails to 
 conserve the results of his daily studies. 
 
 Much time may be usefully spent over such a 
 note-book, in turning over its pages w^ith the in- 
 tent to connect and systematize the various scattered 
 thoughts relating to a given subject; or by going 
 slowly through it, some fragment of thought already 
 recorded is quite sure to suggest other thoughts of a 
 kindred nature. When a new sermon is to be pre- 
 pared, instead of seeking at random for a subject, 
 the preacher can turn to it, almost certain of finding 
 among a hundred themes some one that suits his 
 present purpose. Possibly it may only be the ge**m 
 of a discourse ; quite often he will be gratified to 
 find a subject partially developed and almost ready 
 to his hand, with several striking illustrations that 
 may make the fortune of his sermon. The book 
 becomes in this way a great economist of time. The 
 hours otherwise apt to be spent in a useless and 
 tedious search for a suitable text are occupied in 
 molding and bringing to perfection some fruitful 
 thought that has been often studied before until its 
 outlines have become perfectly familiar. As the 
 hand becomes skillful by long practice, it will be 
 found that full and complete skeletons of sermons 
 have been written out unawares, and at the impulse 
 of the moment, requiring but very little rearrange- 
 ment and a minimum of labor to adapt them to the 
 
PREPARATION, GENERAL. 35 
 
 needs of the pulpit. This method of storing up the 
 select results of our year's reading and thinking in 
 a note-book, like honey in a hive, while useful for 
 all ministers, is almost essential to the success of ai^ 
 extempore preacher, because he needs to be more 
 familiar with the subjects of his sermons, and to have 
 given them a more genetic development. 
 
 There is another habit which will prove of utmost 
 advantage to a preacher, if begun in his early min- 
 istry and persisted in to the end; that is the so- 
 called " homiletic habit," or the practice of taking a 
 text every day, or at least two or three times in a 
 week, and building upon' it an outline discourse as 
 complete and finished as can be made in an hour. If 
 a minister in the early months of the year, when com- 
 paratively fresh from vacation, has the active energy 
 to prepare such skeleton sermons for a number of 
 months in succession, he will not be at any loss dur- 
 ing the remainder of the year for material that can 
 be readily fashioned into his completed discourses. 
 Even though many of these skeletons should never 
 be used for Sunday sermons they will prove ex- 
 tremely convenient for prayer-meetings, lectures and 
 funeral addresses; giving the hard-pressed clergy- 
 man somewhat of the same feeling of security in 
 regard to his supply of material for preaching that 
 he would have financially, if he could always keep a 
 small balance at his banker's. Nothing secures 
 more perfectly that sense of ample resources and re- 
 served power which add so much to the force of an 
 
36 EXTEMPORE PREACpiNG. 
 
 extempore sermon, as the long-continued habit of 
 analyzing and recomposing texts in this manner; 
 for, in speaking, the moment any text that has been 
 so treated flashes upon the mind, the thoughts that 
 were developed from it come thronging in its train, 
 and allow the discourse to be logically expanded to 
 any extent. 
 
 It is said tliat a living American author of great- 
 popularity keeps his manuscrij^t six months aliead of 
 the demands of the printer. Only thus can he se- 
 cure that freedom from nervous apprehension which 
 enables him to do his best work. A preacher does 
 wisely who is always similarly beforehand with his 
 work. He cannot, perhaps, keep six months in ad- 
 vance, but he may easily be one month ahead of the 
 probable demands of the pulpit. If, by a little ex- 
 tra labor at the beginning, or by utilizing his ex- 
 changes, he can get eight or ten finished sermons 
 laid away in his desk, all prej)ared for the pulpit, 
 and, like so many loaded pistols, ready to be fired at 
 a moment's notice, it will be a useful provision. He 
 has the secure feeling of being prepared against the 
 coming Sabbath, no matter how busy the week may 
 be. More than this, he will inevitably, by looking 
 them over occasionally to decide upon a selection, 
 become very familiar with the trains of thought 
 which they contain. Every time, also, that they are 
 read over, new thoughts or fresh references to books 
 read will occur that may be added to the enrichmept 
 of the discourse. 
 
PREPARATION, GENTERAL. 37 
 
 The writer likes to have appended to the argu-^ 
 ments of an extemporaneous sermon, a double or 
 triple set of scripture proofs and illustrations, under 
 each general division, to be used when the discourse 
 is repeated, or that he may have a variety from which 
 to select at the first preaching ; or in case an illus- 
 tration should miss its mark with the audience, there 
 may be more arrows in the quiver, allowing him to 
 try again. 
 
 In treating more at large of the question of pro- 
 viding material for sermons of this kind, we remark 
 that a novice in the art will find his best account in 
 taking a great subject, or in commenting upon extend- 
 ed passages of scripture. A written sermon may be 
 like a fine-line engraving, in its minute treatment of 
 a limited theme ; an extempore sermon is n\ore like 
 a broad and rapid sketch, which demands bold out- 
 lines and strongly-marked figures. The former may 
 resemble an exquisitely cut cameo ; the latter is a 
 statue for the public square, and should be simple 
 in outline and massive in treatment. A great sub- 
 ject, by which is meant any of the principal theses 
 of theology, or morals, will have been handled by 
 able professors, in the lecture-room of the seminary, 
 and has been studied in the text-books for months 
 together. Thus a large amount of material is al- 
 ready at hand, in the note books or the memor}^, too 
 scholastic, indeed, in its present form, but easily po- 
 pularized, by argument, illustration and appeal, so 
 as to be made suitable for an audience. An aro^u- 
 
38 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 ment for the Being of God, or a discourse upon his 
 Attributes, the Inspiration and Canon of Scripture, 
 Freedom of the Will and Human Kesponsibilityj 
 the function of the Church, the Person of Christ, the 
 value of a Mediator, the Atonement, Eschatology, 
 are in themselves mighty themes, requiring no mag- 
 nifying, but only clear statement, and earnest appli- 
 cation. 
 
 As in traveling among the mountains, the guide 
 may be a very commonplace man, and of simple 
 speech, yet if he can take the party safely across the 
 glaciers and along the precipices, he will be dignified 
 by his surroundings and secure of attention to his 
 lightest word ; so the preacher who leads the people 
 among the snow-capped mountains and awful decli- 
 vities of religious thought, is helped in his impres- 
 sion, by the magnitude of the topics, and, so to 
 sj^eak, by the very majesty of the scenes them- 
 selves. The thoughts are great intrinsically and 
 need no enlargement. There is more to be said than 
 can be crowded into one discourse. 'No fear, there- 
 fore, of falling short, or of stopping through any lack 
 of things to say. Besides, these are the mighty 
 themes which most need to be brought to the atten- 
 tion of any congregation. It seems to us a fault of 
 much modern preaching, that it confines its attention 
 to very minute fractions of the truth. The great- 
 ness of the gospel is frittered away in refined discus- 
 sions : as if an astronomer should neglect the great 
 constellations, and restrict his investigations to 
 doubtful questions about comets and asteroids. 
 
PREPARATION, GENERAL. 39 
 
 A celebrated preacher has given a very good piece 
 of advice, which is properly recalled in this connec- 
 tion. It is : That a young preacher will find a rich 
 store of materials for sermons in popularizing what 
 is called " Introduction " to the various books ot 
 scripture. A few sermons of great profit may be 
 preached in this way, every year. The books of the 
 Bible are, as a whole, very much of an unknown 
 continent to the majority of very intelligent Chris- 
 tians. They have been all their life familiar with 
 parts of the various books, with single narratives or 
 with texts of unusual significance. But they have 
 never been accustomed to contemplate the books as 
 a whole, or in their relation to the other scriptural 
 books. This, then, is a field comparatively new and 
 very fertile. Each of the books of the Pentateuch, 
 the goodly fellowship of the prophets, the four gos- 
 pels, any of the epistles, treated in a manner similar 
 to that of the great commentators, if not with quite 
 their ability, will be the rich substance of a sermon. 
 Who wrote the book, when and why, what was his 
 general course of thought, what particular errors are 
 combated or truths emphasized, more than in another 
 of the books of Scripture, how was the book pre- 
 served, and what reasons there are for believing it 
 genuine ; — a course of thought like this will bring the 
 congregation more into the attitude of those who 
 first heard the written record, and will reproduce 
 some of their fresh emotions. 
 
 To go through one of the gospels in order, or 
 
40 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 rapidly comment on any other of the chief books, 
 if properly done, is a most useful exercise for both 
 preacher and people. The book becomes, in this way, 
 to the preacher, what " cases " are to a lawyer, giving 
 an outline of the discourses already prepared, and 
 requiring only careful arrangement and vigorous 
 statement. This was a favorite method with Chry- 
 sostom and Augustine, as appears by the reports of 
 their sermons, well worth studying even at this late 
 day. It was also much practiced by some of the 
 Puritan divines, albeit in written sermons. No one 
 can turn over an alcove of old English theologians 
 without being impressed by the massive solidity of 
 the pulpit ministrations of Baxter, Owen, Charnock, 
 or Bishop Hall. 
 
 Professor Phelps gives, in a recent newspaper 
 article, some interesting reminiscences of Dr. Albert 
 Barnes. Among other things, the professor says : 
 " He made much of serial preaching, the sign com- 
 monly of thoughtful and thorough discussion in the 
 pulpit. A series of doctrinal discourses for the 
 Sunday mornings of every winter, and a series of 
 Biblical expositions for the afternoons, constituted 
 the usual material of his preaching. Yet the serial 
 plan was held in easy hand, so that he could at any 
 time suspend it for seroions which local and 
 transient conditions might require in its place." 
 
 The people will, very likely, grow impatient of 
 such a course, if protracted beyond five or six ser- 
 mons in succession ; but it may be quietly dropped 
 
PREPARATION, GENERAL. 41 
 
 and resumed, again and again, until after some 
 years the design is completed. In the newer parts 
 of the country, so far as the writer has been able to 
 observe, there is a great lack of familiarity with the 
 Old Testament. The children are not taught, as 
 they used to be, the early history of God's people. 
 Even those whose flexible Bibles give evidence of 
 patient study of the psalms or the gospels, have very 
 little practical acquaintance with tlie rest of the 
 sacred books. Accordingly, the historical portions 
 of the Old Testament become a remarkably fertile 
 field for the discovery of fresh and telling illustra- 
 tions of the gospel message. The history of Abra- 
 ham, Samuel, or Elijah, the life of David, the later 
 kings, or any of the prophets, are sources of 
 inexhaustible argument and comparison. This is 
 very useful for Sunday evenings, as being almost 
 entirely new ground to the miscellaneous audiences 
 which flock idly from all parts of a city ; more, it is 
 to be feared, with the object of passing a pleasant 
 hour, than for any deep spiritual impression. Still, 
 these are the people who most need the gospel, and 
 large profit will ensue, if we can interest them in 
 better than merely sensational subjects. 
 
 ]^ow that the latter subjects have been alluded to, 
 the writer may be allow^ed to express the opinion, 
 that it is poor policy to depend upon them to any 
 considerable extent. Able and successful clergy- 
 men have done so, it is true, but such clergymen 
 w^ould have been successful in anv event. For all 
 
 5* 
 
42 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 ordinary occasions it is far better to rely upon the 
 dignified and solemn themes that will arise from 
 any chapter of the Bible. If the people are taught 
 to look for sensations, in a few months their appetite 
 becomes jaded, and desirous of stronger stimulants. 
 It is like the use of alcoholic stimulants. Stronger 
 doses are continually required. Moreover, in any 
 practical discussion of an ethical subject, allusion can 
 easily be made to any extraordinary^ event that is 
 occupying the public mind. It will be all the more 
 effective, if it appears to arise naturally from a 
 scriptural tlieme, than if chosen as a special topic 
 for an entire discourse. 
 
 In addition to the subjects drawn directly from 
 the Bible, there are innumerable points in which it 
 touches human history, philosophy, government, and 
 social science. Its truths find in the record of all 
 great events a striking and dignified illustration. 
 Its principles apply to tlie great movements of 
 society, as well as to the duties of individuals. 
 That preacher, therefore, will be best furnished with 
 diversified materials for his sermons, who with 
 active mind has studied widely every great branch 
 of knowledge. It is very noticeable, for example, 
 what breadth of view, solidity of argument, ampli- 
 tude of treatment, and judicial fairness, characterize 
 tliose preachers, who before entering the ministry^ 
 have spent some time in studying law. Although 
 legal practice is not always marked by these quali- 
 ties, yet the law-books are, being written for the 
 
PREPARATION, GENERAL. 43 
 
 most part by eminent jurists. To have ground 
 throngh Blackstone, or Story, or the law of Evidence, 
 or a volume of Reports, will not only give something 
 of a judicial quality to the mode of viewing a subject, 
 but will suggest numberless practical applications of 
 the gospel to human iniquity, and to the require- 
 ments of justice between man and man. We think 
 that the effect of their legal studies is very observ- 
 able in such men as Ambrose among the Fathers, 
 among the Reformers, Calvin ; and in this country, 
 Dwight, Bushnell, Kirk, and some eminent living 
 clergymen. A year spent in a lawyer^s office is not 
 by any means lost time, in preparation for the 
 ministry. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that history furnishes 
 an exhaustless field of study for the preacher, 
 ennobling in itself, and rich in the material of noble 
 thought. Cicero earnestly recommends the orator 
 to study history, which will, he says, supply copious- 
 ness of illustration. The preacher has a still better 
 reason for this study, for the Bible was composed 
 by members of a race who were in intimate con- 
 tact with the five great monarchies of the ancient 
 world, Babylonian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Macedonian, 
 and Roman. It behooves a man of God to know 
 somewhat more of these empires and their decaying 
 civilizations, than is furnished by the commentaries. 
 Raiulinson's Ancient Monarchies^ Smitlih and Lay- 
 ard's Discoveries in Nineveh^- Wilkinson^ s Ancient 
 Egyptians^ Merivcde's History of the Roman People^ 
 
44 ^ EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 and other works of this class, are admirable reading 
 in themselves, and throw innumerable side-lights on 
 the Scriptures, enabling us to understand them 
 better, and enriching our resources for expository 
 preaching. How can any one tell the power of 
 Christianity in lifting the nations, as the continents 
 were upheaved from the ocean, unless he has read 
 the wonderful history of the Christian centuries, and 
 has learned how the old heathen society, with its 
 corruption and despair, was seized and remoulded 
 by the'gospel ; until, through ages of darkness and 
 confusion, slowly emerged a new literature, new 
 states, the rich triumphs of modern science and art ! 
 
 In metaphysics and philosophy, possibly, the 
 average minister has been drilled, all that time will 
 allow, for these are the favorite studies of the schools. 
 But few are sufficiently posted on p'olitical economy 
 and social science. Yet the questions treated in 
 these departments of thought are continually seeth- 
 ing in the community, and can be alluded to by the 
 pulpit, in their general aspects, with both interest 
 and profit. 
 
 It is unlikely, for instance, that a speaker will 
 discourse wisely upon temperance legislation, the 
 social evil, care of the poor, sanitary regulation, the 
 Mormon question, exclusion of the Chinese, and 
 similar themes, anless he has had some previous 
 study of the great principles underlying these 
 questions. Yet discourse of them he must, or be 
 content w^ith exercising less than his legitimate in- 
 fluence upon the community. 
 
PREPARATION, GENERAL. 45 
 
 All this study cannot be mastered in a brief 
 period, but he has before him a life-time of study, 
 and may, if diligent, accomplish large things. An 
 hour of serious reading daily for thirty years will 
 give materials so ample as to provide a generous 
 store of illustrations for all possible pulpit services. 
 
 Better than any definite information, these studies 
 broaden and enrich the mind, which in the study of 
 theology alone is apt to grow narrow and juiceless. 
 They make us acquainted with life as it is, rather 
 than with speculations upon it. They enable the 
 minister to look out from his study windows for 
 himself, and see what is passing in the great world. 
 His sermons may lose a little in metaphysical acumen, 
 but they will be vastly more interesting, as touching 
 human interests in every direction. 
 
IT. 
 
 AEEANGEME^T. 
 
 Much of the success of an extemporaneous sermon 
 will depend on the care with which its several parts 
 are arranged. The proper disposition of the argu- 
 ments is as important as their invention. Whether 
 for the ease of the speaker in delivering his sermon, 
 or for the pleasure of the audience in listening, the 
 distribution of the thoughts and their mutual con- 
 nection are of utmost consequence. Such a sermon 
 cannot be molluscous in structure ; it must be verte- 
 brate. One unifying thought should pervade every 
 paragraph and be subtly referred to in ever}^ sen- 
 tence. Professor Goodrich makes the remark in 
 reference to Lord Erskine, that the great success of 
 his forensic arguments was due to a ''leading prin- 
 ciple, early announced and closely adhered to, 
 throughout the lo'ngest speech, and giving it a 
 weight which detached thoughts, however splendid, 
 could never liave attained." The grand purpose of 
 the sermon, clearly fixed in the mind of the preacher 
 at the outset should never be forgotten, even for a 
 moment, and should be made equally evident to the 
 congregation. It seems to us wise to do this in the 
 opening sentence, or at least in the first paragraph. 
 
ARRANGEMENT. 47 
 
 An exordium, of less or greater length, may be 
 necessary in courts or senates to render the audience 
 friendly, docile, and attentive; but in church all the 
 previous exercises are properly the preacher's exor- 
 dium. The hymns selected, the passages of scrip- 
 ture read, the prayers, if they are suitable to his 
 purpose, will prepare the audience more effectively 
 for the argument of the discourse, than any skill in 
 the opening paragraphs can do. Whether by antic- 
 ipating the tone of tlie sermon, or by contrast with 
 it, a skillful preaclier w^ill make all the preliminary 
 exercises contribute to his main design. Having 
 done so, it is quite superftnous to have any elaborate 
 exordium. The audience is attentive to the readincr 
 of the text, many having their Bibles open ready to 
 turn to the passage. Having heard it, they are im- 
 mediately curious to learn what the minister means 
 to do witli it. For there are many lessons that may be 
 derived from any significant text of scripture. The 
 words of Holy Writ are succulent, not to be ex- 
 hausted by any single use. It is a good plan to 
 gratify this very laudable curiosity by announcing, 
 as clearly and concisely as possible, the purport of 
 the discourse. The first sentence thus strikes the skill- 
 ful key-note of the whole sermon. There are various 
 ways of doing this. It may be by a direct statement 
 of the preacher's purpose, as " I propose to speak 
 to-day of such a clause ;" or " My intention is to em- 
 ploy this text in the maintenance of such a propo- 
 sition." It is preferable, however, generally, to let 
 
48 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 the sentiment uttered be itself the proposition. Or 
 it may, occasionally, be introduced by an anecdote, 
 a parable, a simile, or even a prayer. 
 
 A good impression is produced if the speaker, 
 after announcing some general proposition, proceeds 
 at once to break it up into its parts. This not only 
 enables the people to appreliend it more clearly, but 
 gives the impression of movement; as if the preacher 
 had much to say and did not care to linger on the 
 portals of his subject. To introduce many thoughts 
 only remotely pertinent to the theme, at the opening 
 of a discourse, has been wittily compared to leaving 
 one's heavy baggage in the office of a hotel because 
 it was too large to carry to the room. Such baggage 
 is an encumbrance rather than a help, both to a 
 traveler and a speaker. An extempore speaker, 
 particularly, must guard against the impression that 
 he is dallying with his subject for the purpose of fill- 
 ing up the time, in the fear lest his material should 
 not hold out the allotted half hour. This is best 
 accomplished by a succinct and rapid statement at 
 the outset of his principal thoughts. If they are 
 weighty, the people will gladly have them recalled, 
 by and by, for amplification and illustration. We 
 do not mean that it is wise to state always, or often, 
 at the beginning the outline of his sermon. As has 
 been well said, it need not be like a Sw^iss cottage 
 with the framework outside. But it should have a 
 framework ; and, as a well-built house strikes the eye 
 in its completeness, before we enter to examine the 
 
ARRANGEMENT. 49 
 
 rooms in detail, so should a discourse give a general 
 view, in compact and well-chosen thoughts, of its 
 structure and design. 
 
 The extempore preacher does well to avoid a mul- 
 titude of divisions and sub-divisions. They tend to 
 confuse his mind and are hard to retain in the mem- 
 ory. Two or three general divisions of the subject 
 and a few clustered thoughts under each are suffic- 
 ient. The utmost care is necessary to avoid making 
 these divisions artificial or different from the natural 
 cleavage of the text. Each head must be an impor- 
 tant and obvious segment of the subject, different 
 from the rest. Only thus can it justify its existence 
 and be kept separate from them in speaking. 
 
 A few niai]i ideas, clearly stated and repeated in 
 varying phrase until they make their impression, are 
 better than many. If weighty, a large number of 
 ideas will prove too much for the digestion of an 
 audience ; if insignificant, they are felt to be below 
 the seriousness of a divine service. To select a few 
 of the most important considerations relating to the 
 subject, amplify and illustrate them, is the best 
 method of treatment. Nor need there be any fear 
 of too much repetition, within reasonable limits. 
 A lawyer, it has been said, will be apt to repeat his 
 main proposition nearly as many times as there are 
 jurymen in the box, before he has succeeded in con- 
 vincing them all. "^ Idem haud iisdem verhis^^ the 
 same idea but in different words, is the proper rule. 
 Any important thought, especially if at all novel in 
 
 6 
 
.')() EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 itself or by its connections, cannot be grasped by the 
 mind of the hearer from a single statement. It 
 requires to be presented over and over again in 
 phrases ingeniously varied, before a clear apprehen- 
 sion reaches the people of what it is the preacher 
 would say. Even then the work is but half done, 
 for the mere comprehension of a new idea is of 
 comparatively little value. It needs to be made 
 emphatic. It must make impression on the mind, 
 as the engraver cuts his design, by repeated strokes, 
 on the plate of steel or copper. To have any lasting 
 effect, it must be embodied in illustrations, enforced 
 by trope and metaphor, shown in practical relation 
 to life, held up as a factor in history, emphasized by 
 quotations from Holy Scripture. 
 
 All this demands time and space. Plainly, only 
 a few ideas can be so presented in any one sermon. 
 And we are not now speaking of the principal ideas, 
 of which there should be but one or two, but of the 
 subordinate topics employed in their elucidation. 
 These should be weighty, well developed, and few 
 in number. Combined and recombined in various 
 ways, they give ample substance to the discourse, 
 and furnish the audience with enough, but not too 
 much, to carry away. It may be wittily objected, 
 here, that few preachers are in danger of bringing 
 too much thought before the audience. Not too 
 much certainly ; but they may bring too many 
 thoughts. Hand multa, sed midtum, not many things, 
 but much, should l)e the principle in our preaching 
 as in our studies. 
 
AKRANGEMENT. 01 
 
 There are, moreover, not many subordinate ideas, 
 of first importance, closely connected with any single 
 subject. If properly limited, as it should be, to a 
 definite proposition, " God is love," " We are saved 
 by faith," the illustrative thoughts immediately 
 related to the theme, and of a far-reaching signifi- 
 cance, will not ordinarily embarrass the speaker by 
 their number. If he must have many sub-divisions, 
 some of them will pro^^ of secondary importance, 
 and will add really nothing to the argument. 
 
 While there is no rule that controls the number 
 of illustrations that may properly be employed, it is 
 our opinion that one under each head is generally 
 sufficient. If the illustration already used seems to 
 fail of its purpose, or if the thought be particularly 
 recondite, several illustrations may be introduced. 
 But for all ordinary purposes, one good one is 
 enough. Illustrations have been compared to win- 
 dows that let in the light. We do not want to 
 make the house all windows, lest there be no room 
 for any thing else, solid wall or interior convenience. 
 They naturally come at the close of a paragraph, 
 and, as it were, clinch the nail, which the master of 
 the assembly is driving in. An illustration, com- 
 pacted into a metaphor will thus, at the close, 
 impinge the thought with burning, dazzling force 
 upon the mind. Dr. Bushnell's sermons, although 
 they have few developed illustrations, have innu- 
 merable metaphors, embodying his thought with the 
 vivid imaginativeness of a true poet. It will be 
 
52 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 found, we think, that a favorite way with this most 
 delightful preacher, was to condense the whole 
 power of a paragraph into one fiery sentence at the 
 end. Thus in the sermon, '' Loving God is but let- 
 ting God love us," he says, " Your prayers must fan 
 your desires, waiting as porters at all the gates and 
 windows of your feeling, to hold them open to God's 
 day." And again, " You have nothing to do but to 
 let God's love possess and till you, which it assur- 
 edly will, even as it fills the great and wide sea of 
 his infinite bosom." Or in the sermon, very perti- 
 nent to modern discussions, " A single trial better 
 than many ; " " The gold-washers of California, 
 having passed tlieir dirt once through the sluice, 
 drop what they call the ' tailings ' below ; and some- 
 times they discover a very little gold in these, enough 
 to pay for milling them over again. But the 
 tailings, of an old, bad life, which has yielded no gold 
 on the first trial — who will go to work on them with 
 any, least prospect of success ? " 
 
 These are endings of different paragraphs, or near 
 the end, and fashion their thought into a thunder- 
 bolt to project it irresistibly upon the mind. This 
 precept, as is evident by our citation of Dr. Bush- 
 nell, is fully as applicable to written as to extempore 
 sermons. But no speaker can neglect it safely, for 
 it brings out the thought by a kind of natural cli- 
 max, and presents it boldly to the attention of the 
 congregation. 
 
 While arguing that the thought of a paragraph 
 
ARRANGEMENT. 53 
 
 should be so arranged as to be climactic in its impres- 
 sion, we venture to differ with the modern practice 
 of making the whole sermon climactic, by bringing 
 the utmost force to bear upon the termination. And 
 our courage in this dissent is re-inforced by the 
 authority of antiquity. Thus, we think most schol- 
 ars would place the climax of Demosthenes' speech 
 " On the Crown " at the oath, " By those who rushed 
 on destruction at Marathon . . . o-allant men ! " 
 and this is not nearly at the end. Our reason for 
 putting the climax somewhere else than at the end, 
 or near it, is that in the case of preaching people 
 have come to expect it, and completely to discount 
 its force. When the preacher grows fervid in his 
 appeal, they begin to look 'for hat and gloves, as 
 knowing the end to be near. 
 
 Kow, in awakening the attention of an audience, 
 or making an impression on their feelings, the ele- 
 ment of surprise is of no insignificant advantage. 
 As soon as any method of address becomes stereo- 
 typed, however excellent it may have been origi- 
 nally, it is shorn of half its power. When men an- 
 ticipate an appeal, they brace themselves instinct- 
 ively against it. To succeed, it must, as it were, take 
 them in flank while they are not looking for it. If 
 the culmination of the sermon, its strongest points, 
 the most impressive applications, are regularly placed 
 at the end, the people will very soon learn to expect 
 them there and elude their power. In order to 
 avoid this, it appears to be the best way to have no 
 
 6* 
 
54 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 settled order, but to change as much as possible the 
 position of the climax. Yariety is secured by this 
 means, and better than variety, a greater impressive- 
 ness. Takeu at unawares, men are touched before 
 they had begun to suspect there was any likelihood 
 of it. 
 
 The speaker will be allowed to digress occasion- 
 ally from the direct line of his argument, provided 
 lie does not use this liberty too frequently, and the 
 digression seems to be a natural one. But men are 
 impatient of a wandering discourse, and nothing 
 pleases them so much as for the preacher to stick to 
 the point. It is well, therefore, to avoid the appear- 
 ance of wandering b}' distinctly marking the fact 
 that it is a digression. • After an excursion into some 
 interesting field of remark that grows out of the 
 subject, indeed, but grows away from it, the speaker 
 will check himself with the words, *' To return to 
 our theme," or something of similar import. This 
 secures a.ny doubtful listeners froni mistaking the 
 side-track for the main line, and keeps the principal 
 argument distinctly before them. 
 
 Better than any digression, however, is the skill 
 that can so deftly arrange the thoughts of the dis- 
 course as to- allow the speaker to say whatever the 
 subject has suggested to him directly, and without 
 any seeming diversion. Tliis can generally be done 
 by a little pains, though not always. What would 
 be a digression under one head, becomes a natural 
 inference under another. Placed where it belongs, 
 
ARRANGEMENT. 55 
 
 the application will have a greatly increased efficacy. 
 It will not appear to have been sought for, bnt to 
 have come of itself. 
 
 The remark was made at the beginning of this 
 chapter that afl extempore sermon cannot be mollus- 
 cous, but must be vertebrate in its structure ; it may 
 be advisable at this point to state mure fully what 
 was intended by the observation. It is, then, a 
 noticeable quality of some styles of Avriting, that the 
 thought Hows on in a placid stream, without an}^ 
 breaking up into segments or divisions of any kind. 
 This style is characterized by accretion, or by adding 
 one thought after another as it happens to occur to 
 the mind of the writer, without any very definite 
 prevision of the end from the beginning. It is not 
 lacking in adaptation to an essay, or to light sketches 
 of any sort. It is often seen in written sermons, 
 notably those of a meditative character. But it 
 will not answer for an extemporaneous preacher. 
 For one thing, it will be impossible for him to re- 
 member a mass of undigested and disconnected ob- 
 servations. The mind fails to retain them, for there 
 is no interior coherence to bind together and fasten 
 them in the memory; they are, so to speak, mollus- 
 cous. 
 
 A spoken sermon must have a clear and definite 
 plan underlying its entire organization. It must be 
 regularly built around a central idea, as vertebrate 
 animals around, or upon, a back-bone ; and every 
 division, paragraph, or sentence, bound to the rest 
 
56 KXTE>[POF^E PREACHING. 
 
 by a close articulation. Even thougli nothing ol 
 this interior connection sliould be revealed to the 
 audience ; to the mind of the speaker there must 
 be definite, Avell-marked divisions all the way 
 through. Each topic must be related to the one be- 
 fore, and to the following, by a close logical sequence. 
 Each topic, moreover, must stand by itself, clearly 
 marked in the mind. All the thoughts of the ser- 
 mon, which bear upon that topic, should be clustered 
 around it. It will have its own statement, proofs, 
 illustrations, and possibly, applications ; in short, be 
 a little speech by itself, that might be taken apart 
 from the rest and delivered independently. 
 
 When tlie introduction, each of the topics^of argu- 
 ment or remark, and the conclusion, are thus defi- 
 nitely outlined in the mind ; if also they are mutually 
 related, so that each belongs exactly in the place as- 
 signed to it, and could not well come earlier and 
 later in the sermon ; the speaker will find that this 
 logical arrangement, or vertebration, of his thought 
 is a great assistance to his recollection. Nor does 
 the benefit end with the speaker. What was easy for 
 him to remember, will be much easier for the audi- 
 ence to carry away ; a very desirable result, since it 
 is to be feared that they get from many sermons only 
 a very general impression of the desirableness of 
 religion. If Ave may apply to a sermon, what was 
 originally spoken of the church, the " whole body " 
 of the discourse, " fitly joined together, and compact- 
 ed by that which every joint supplieth," maketh in- 
 
ARRANGEMENT. 5 / 
 
 crease for the edifying of the body of Christ in love. 
 The minute subdivisions of the old preachers, in- 
 deed, are not to be commended. The Puritan di- 
 vines, with their numberless heads of remark, are not 
 models for these latter days. But there is some dif- 
 ference between having too many articulations and 
 none at all. ISTor, ^s we said before, is it advisable 
 •that the junctures should be always announced ; it is 
 only essential that they be there, giving a sinewy 
 strength and backbone to the discourse. 
 
 It is possible, also, in this way, more easily to 
 preserve the proper proportions of a sermon, for a 
 ready means exists of measuring the length of any 
 part, in comparison with the rest. The whole may 
 be better balanced, and obtain that symmetry of 
 ti'eatment, which is the first rule of art. 
 
 It is not worth while to spend much time in re- 
 futation of objections, or demolition of the argu- 
 ments of noted infidels. The people care very little 
 about them, and often are first made aware of their 
 existence by hearing them discussed in the pulpit. 
 But, supposing it to be necessary to deal with objec- 
 tions, the advice of the ancient writers is good, 
 namely, to put the " confutation " after the positive 
 arguments. It is best, first to establish the trutli, 
 then, if need be, demolish the error that seeks to 
 overthrow it. After the doctrine has been proved 
 affirmatively, it is easier to deal with objections, and 
 they may be disposed of, in a more summary manner. 
 
 It is, generally, desirable to sum up, at the close, 
 
58 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 in brief and weighty words, the course of argument 
 that has been traversed in the sermon. This may 
 be done formally, by repetition of the several heads 
 in their order ; or rhetorically, by weaving them all 
 into one long, cumulative sentence ; or it may be 
 that some striking anecdote, or brilliant comparison, 
 will sufficiently embody and impress the princi]3le 
 of the sermon ; or a pungent appeal may carry it- 
 home to the hearer. Every possible device must be 
 resorted to, to prevent the appearance of sameness 
 in the conclusion of successive sermons. Every 
 variety of ending, in its turn, is tlie best. 
 
 The sermon thus composed of a few massive and 
 well-forged links, each distinct yet closely connected, 
 strikes upon the mind of the hearer, like a chain-shot, 
 in one solid and resistless impression. 
 
Y. 
 
 ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 We have called the illustrations the windows of a 
 discourse, openings by which light is admitted to the 
 subject. More appropriateb^, we might call them 
 wings of speech, sustaining and directing its flight. 
 On them the thought flies to any elevation and easily 
 maintains itself there. Any abstract truth is held 
 painfully by the mind, but it has been said that man, 
 civilized or savage, loves a trope. All the parables 
 of our Lord imply a close resemblance between the 
 world of matter and of spirit. " Tlie kingdom of 
 lieaven is like" a farmer scattering seed, a woman 
 making bread or sweeping a cottage, a merchant 
 searching the market for pearls, a fisherman casting 
 his net — like any commonest act of men. Spiritual 
 truths easily throw themselves into the mold of daily 
 experiences. Had we eyes to see it, an angel looks 
 out from every bush, setting it on fire with divine 
 truth. 
 
 The best part of our language was originally a 
 metaphor. To " grasp " anything by the mind, was 
 first suggested by grasping objects in the hand. An 
 "eminent" man recalls the cliff that towers above 
 its fellows. All ])oetry is based on the apt presenta- 
 
60 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 tioTi of refined ideas in sensible images, giving to 
 airy nothings a local habitation. 
 
 The oratory that succeeds best with the people, is 
 of the kind that most abounds in concrete imagery. 
 By whatever name it is called, trope, metaphor, 
 proverb, parable, anecdote, illustration, according as 
 it is brief and pithy, or drawn out in a more 
 extended comparison ; it is, essentially, the same 
 poetic faculty of speech, which gives it wings to 
 men's hearts and understandings. Mi*. Choate is 
 said to have remarked on a certain occasion, that 
 nothing is too learned or profound for a popular 
 audience, only it should always l)e expressed, not in 
 abstract phrase, but in a concrete fashion ; a line 
 metaphor, a sparkling truism, a stinging epithet, a 
 familiar anecdote. It is then easily understood and 
 remembered. Probably the metaphor, as being the 
 compactest form of illustration, is the figure of speech 
 in which the orator may most freely indulge. But, 
 if we may judge by the practice of the ablest 
 speakers, every variety of illustration may l)e used, 
 as occasion demands. 
 
 If they served no other purpose, parables and 
 extended comparisons are useful to relieve the atten- 
 tion of an audience. To listen to solid argument 
 for half or three-quarters of an hour is, for men dis- 
 tracted by business cares through the week, almost 
 an impossibility. They require to relax the tension 
 every little while, and nothing serves better for this 
 than a pleasing comparison. Lord Chatham was 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 61 
 
 accustomed to diminish the strain produced by his 
 lofty and impassioned declamation, upon the minds 
 of the noble lords, by eloquent reference to the 
 " tapestry which adorns these walls," or to the 
 remarkable " conflux of the Rhone and Saone," or 
 by an apt quotation from some familiar classic. 
 While not delaying the argument, but rather further- 
 ing it, they relieved the attention or caught again 
 the attention which had momentarily wandered. 
 
 Moreover, nothing serves more to embellish a dis- 
 course than well-chosen comparisons. We may 
 quote here the famous metaphor of Junius, in speak- 
 ing of the king's dignity, "The feather that adorns 
 the royal bird supports his flight," for it may equally 
 be applied to a discourse, the illustrations of which 
 are both wings and ornaments. A single word may 
 sometimes carry to the hearer a whole train of subtle 
 and grateful associations. It is redolent of a noble 
 poem, or fraught with scientific suggestion, or fragrant 
 with the incense of ages of prayer. A cultivated 
 audience relishes fresh allusion to the literature of the 
 day, showing the preacher to be up with the times. 
 A devout hearer is refreshed by some deft introduc- 
 tion of a scriptural quotation. The common people 
 gladly hear a simile that recalls the homely scenes of 
 daily life. Properly guarded against too great 
 familiarity, these last are most eflective with the 
 majority of men. 
 
 What is more easily comprehended or more 
 universally popular, than the plain metaphors, and 
 
62 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 homely comparisons of the PilgrMs Progress'^ 
 What is more universal in its appeal to all ages and 
 nations than the poetry of Homer ; which is full of 
 the bleating of sheep and the lowing of kine, scream. - 
 ing cranes and clustering bees, laborers binding 
 sheaves, and wood-cutters felling trees, women at 
 the loom, girls preparing the bath, Nausicaa at the 
 laundry, Ulysses making a raft ? It is of universal 
 interest, because it appeals to universal experience. 
 
 Thus the most fertile source of illustrations, for 
 both embellishment and instruction, and the one 
 always most interesting to any audience, is from the 
 everyday experiences of ordinary life. It is this 
 field which ofiers such inexhaustible stores to the 
 novelist, and renders the fiction of the present day 
 so widely attractive. The people never tire of what 
 reminds them of home or business. It is, also, pre- 
 cisely in this range of experiences that the moral 
 problems arise with which the preacher has to deal, 
 and upon which he needs to throw the clearest light. 
 Every accurately drawn picture of human beings, 
 buying, selling, toiling, suffering, in love, in tempta- 
 tion, in sickness, on the bed of death, is interesting 
 in itself, and illumines some of the manifold rela- 
 tions of the soul to God, or to humanity. 
 
 While avoiding anything trivial or coarse, the 
 preacher need not anxiously strive to keep a sus- 
 tained flight of eloquence, or of brilliant illustrations 
 all through his discourse. It is better for a little 
 plainness now and then. No matter if Homer does 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 63 
 
 nod occasionally. Too great richness of a sermon, 
 even when the speaker's genius enables him to attain 
 it, cloys the mind like a too-dainty repast. Plain 
 food is better both for body and mind, and is relished 
 longer. Cloth of gold may be admired in a show, 
 but it would be cumbersome to wear. Plain thoughts, 
 plainly expressed in the language of the people, 
 illustrated by homely comparisons, and applied to 
 daily needs, are most fitted for edification. Practi- 
 cal men are apt to say of any sentiment of unusual 
 grandeur, " That is all very fine, but what of it ? " 
 But if it presently appear as applicable to the ordin- 
 ary business of life, they welcome it. The over- 
 ruling Providence of God for example, guiding the 
 nations, is a noble subject of contemplation, but 
 somewhat too remote for immediate impression ; the 
 same Providence helping solve the query, what shall 
 we eat and what shall we drink, and wherewith shall 
 we be clothed, is of personal interest to every hearer. 
 We think it is a mistake to draw comparisons very 
 frequently, except before a very cultivated congre- 
 gation, from foreign travel, or from profound scien- 
 tific investigations ; for the reason that they do not 
 really illustrate the sermon, as the people are already 
 more familiar with the thought than with the object 
 it is compared to. Occasionally they may be intro- 
 duced for ornament or dignity, but nothing can 
 really illustrate a point, unless it is better known 
 than the point itself They seem, moreover, to argue 
 how learned a man the preacher is, or how widely 
 
64 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 he has traveled, and present to the audience the 
 man ratlier than his theme. The time wlien he 
 was in Wittemberg, looking for the door where the 
 theses w^ere nailed, or tlie liot day on which he 
 climbed the Pyramids, or his emotions among the 
 Himalayas, may be interesting to himself, but his 
 congregation care very little about them. 
 
 Among books, of course, the best and most fertile 
 source of illustrations for the preacher is the Bible. 
 The more perfectly he remembers every part of it, 
 the more amply is he furnished with inexhaustible 
 stores of appropriate comparisons. People never tire 
 of them. They readily comprehend them, for the 
 Bible is the people's classic. They will not be im- 
 patient of any number of scriptural instances, for 
 they are edifying and devotional in themselves, as 
 well as adapted to illumine the subject under discus- 
 sion. If the preacher, for example, is speaking of 
 prayer, what better illustrations of its universality, 
 or its power, than Abraham praying for Sodom, Eli- 
 jah against the priests of Baal, or Christ retiring to 
 the mountain to refresh His spirit by its serene up- 
 lifting ? 
 
 'Next to the Bible, the extempore preacher will 
 find his account in acquaintance with hymnology 
 and the best of popular poetry. An apt verse of 
 some old hymn suitably introduced will make a very 
 tender or a very solemn impression. One of the 
 easiest and most affluent extemporaneous speakers, 
 to whom it has been our fortune to listen, has in this 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 65 
 
 way given striking effect to some of his discourses. 
 The words of a familiar hymn point the sharpened ar- 
 rows which the preacher seeks to drive home upon 
 the conscience. 
 
 For dignity of sentiment and splendor of diction, 
 there is none like Milton. Some of the noblest pas- 
 sages in the oratory of Burke are evidently derived 
 from the Paradise Lost. Other great orators have 
 sought inspiration in the same source. The first 
 book, or the sixth, describing the war in heaven be- 
 tween the loyal and the fallen angels, are majestic 
 sources of pulpit imagery. To peruse them again 
 and again, marking the lines which most attract our 
 attention, will give material for illustration of the 
 most impressive kind. 
 
 Whittier and Longfellow have given the world 
 many exquisite statements of spiritual and ethical 
 truth that should not be neglected. What better 
 image of the effects of meditation at the evening 
 twilight than the words — 
 
 "And the night shall be filled with music, 
 And the cares that infest the day 
 Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, 
 And as silently steal away !" 
 
 The right employment of anecdote is of incalcu- 
 lable advantage to one who would attain the honors 
 of a popular speaker. One of tlie most brilliant 
 living preachers, whose name has become almost a 
 synonym for elegant extemporaneous speech, is quite 
 famous in respect of the number and aptness of the 
 
 7* 
 
66 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 anecdotes which he can bring to a festive occasion. 
 They are always in order when the speaker's object 
 is to put an audience in good humor, or to fill up 
 the allotted time with remarks that shall not be bur- 
 densome from their weight. After-dinner speeches, 
 festivals commemorating the history of a town or a 
 church, greetings to new ministers, commencements 
 and gatherings of alumni, naturally call for anec- 
 dotes respecting their founders and ancestrj^, and 
 allow an almost unlimited range of story-telling that 
 may possibly be connected with the occasion by the 
 slenderest of ties. But this mode of illustration 
 must be sparingly employed, if at all, in the graver 
 discourse of the pulpit. If admitted, the circum- 
 stance narrated should be of a serious or pathetic 
 kind, and be clearly apposite. Anecdotes of a hu- 
 morous cast detract from dignity and impress! ven ess 
 more than they can possibly add in piquancy. Ac- 
 counts of our own conversion, or of remarkable con- 
 versions we have witnessed, have high warrant for 
 pulpit use ; they are more serviceable, however, to 
 " pilgrims of a night," like evangelists or itinerants, 
 than to settled pastors, because once told their effect- 
 iveness is gone for that community. 
 
 One of the best fields for the extemporaneous 
 preacher, and also not overworked in this generation, 
 is in the history of the church and the biography of 
 God's people. Our historic sense has but recently 
 begun to be cultivated, in connection with religion. 
 For a long time Christian people have been disposed 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 67 
 
 to look upon tlie Gospel as simply an individual 
 affair. If they read the Bible and obeyed its pre- 
 cepts they knew all they cared to know of the power 
 of Christianity. But the Church is becoming con- 
 scious of the fact that it cannot properly understand 
 the Bible, or justly appreciate even its ethical pre- 
 cepts, until they are seen in the light of that grand 
 Christian movement w^hich has illuminated and ele- 
 vated the centuries The Gospel is more highly ven- 
 erated as it is seen confronting kings and molding 
 nations to a new life. Its mighty victories over ages 
 of darkness are a triumphant vindication of its di- 
 vine origin. The biographies of good men and 
 saintl}^ women of ev^ery nationality and of every 
 century are fertile of instruction and encouragement. 
 The history of the Reformation has recently been 
 brought vividly before the Protestant world in con- 
 nection with the four-hundredth anniversary of the 
 birth of Luther. It has yielded an abundant store 
 of the richest materials for illustrating and enforcing 
 the doctrine of justification by faith. But Luther 
 was not the sole reformer, nor w^as the sixteenth cen- 
 tury the only one fraught with triumphs of grace. 
 The fourth century was one of the most brilliant 
 epochs in the history of the church, and has been 
 freshly described in the writings of Dean Stanley. 
 The great names of Constantino and Helena, of 
 Athanasius, Hosius, and Jerome suggest endless 
 illustrations of the conquest of Christianity over j^a- 
 ganism. 
 
68 EXTEMPORE PREACHING-. 
 
 In more recent times the great movement begun 
 by Whitefield and the Wesley s is an instructive 
 lesson of what may be done by men of faith. The 
 preacher may not wisely omit the marvelous revi- 
 vals of the first half of this century. Great evan- 
 gelists, like I^ettleton and Finney, were captains of 
 the Lord's Host in many a hard-fought campaign ; 
 their lives, doctrines, and tlie scenes of grace in 
 which they bore a part, will, if skillfully portrayed, 
 quicken the pulse of any congregation. 
 
 The great missionary enterprises of the day should 
 be closely studied by every minister. More than 
 any other study, they are an inspiring commentary 
 on the Book of Acts. They show the doctrines of 
 Christ in conflict with the same foes as in Apostolic 
 times, casting down idols, and bringing the heathen 
 into subjection to the cross. They serve to stimu- 
 late faith and hope. They easily swell our dis- 
 courses with numerous examples of heroic endurance, 
 childlike piety, ardent zeal. It is true, that 
 descriptions of missionary life and its glorious 
 results, have become so common, that our congrega- 
 tions begin to be a little tired of them, so that they 
 must be employed with some prudence. But once 
 or twice a year, at the missionary collections, or 
 now and then in a course of sermons on missions, 
 they may be adverted to with excellent effect. 
 
 The Hebrew prophets and the Psalms, as well as 
 the parables of Christ, have taught the Christian 
 world to love Nature, in her every aspect, and to 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 69 
 
 look upon her as an exhaustless source of illustration 
 for the truths of reliction. Abundant stores of 
 imagery may be drawn from the prophetic writings, 
 or may be suggested by their methods. That God 
 is a strong tower of defense, a bulwark against our 
 foes, the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, 
 like the hills round about Jerusalem ; that wind and 
 storm, fire and snow, the flood, the harvest, the 
 famine or the locust, are instruments of his august 
 Providence; that blooming deserts and renovated 
 highways, desolate cities rebuilt, wild animals tamed, 
 are appropriate emblems of the moral renovation of 
 mankind ; are thoughts so familiar to us as to have 
 almost ceased to be figures of speech. For they 
 seem to be plain statements of fact. 
 
 The world of nature is teeming with illustrations 
 of this sort, and the preacher has sacred authority 
 for using them as freely as he chooses. What more 
 exquisite picture, than in Isaiah, where he compares 
 Israel to a vineyard in a very fruitful hill, fenced 
 about, carefully tended, but bringing forth only 
 wild grapes, and destined to be destroyed for its 
 unfruitfulness ! And Ezekiel's valley of dry bones, 
 very dry, has been the appropriate illustration of 
 how many sermons ! 
 
 While avoiding recondite scientific theories, the 
 preacher will find a vast supply of entertaining and 
 instructive illustrations in the wonders revealed b}^ 
 modern science. Behold what marvels God hath 
 wrought in the mysterious laboratories of nature. 
 
70 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 where were fashioned the costly gems, the gold- 
 bearing quartz, the unexhausted beds of coal, the 
 oil out of the rocks ! See how man is fulfilling the 
 promise that he shall have dominion over the world, 
 because he is the son of God, in the magic use of 
 steam, electricity, the actinic solar ray ! The heart 
 throbs with exultation at each new discovery. The 
 preacher can always arouse the interest of the most 
 sluggish, by a simple description of some new 
 enginery of human progress, a telephone, an electric 
 lamp, a surgical appliance for alleviating pain. 
 These are facile symbols of spiritual truth, and so 
 rapid is the course of invention, that new means of 
 comparison are always arising. 
 
 Some clergymen, very unwisely, make frequent 
 reference to science and to scientific men, in an 
 antagonistic, or a sarcastic, manner; as if there were 
 some irreconcilable difference between science and 
 religion, or as if scientists as a body were opposed 
 to religious truth. This is altogether uncalled for. 
 Religion and science are but the first and second 
 volames of the Divine revelation. God has revealed 
 himself to men both by his word and his works. If 
 men have been unable to reconcile the two revela- 
 tions, in any particular, it is merely because they 
 have not yet read them with absolute correctness. 
 Such disparaging allusions to science, in the pulpit, 
 arise from a jealousy for religion, which may be 
 sincere, but is greatly mistaken. Tlie trophies of 
 science are among the best illustrations of the power 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 71 
 
 and meaning of religious truth, to be found any 
 where. 
 
 It will be seen from the various sources already 
 mentioned that a speaker who is well informed, and 
 whose mind is on the alert for sensible images of 
 invisible things, will be rather embarrassed by their 
 abundance, than feel any deficiency. In fact, he will 
 find more than he can possibly use, and his labor 
 will be in selection rather than in seeking for them. 
 He will reject many in the construction of every 
 sermon, and choose the few that best illumine his 
 thought. It is well to remember also, in this con- 
 nection, that it is quite possible to have too many 
 illustrations, as was before remarked. Too much 
 play of fancy, too great affluence of imagery, are 
 incompatible with the stern and profound earnest- 
 ness which should characterize the preacher. The 
 sword may be of Damascus steel, but there will be 
 few ornaments engraved on the blade, if it is really 
 intended for the battle. 
 
 Our audiences, it is true, are a little sated with 
 preaching, and often require more embellishment in 
 the sermon than is warranted by good taste, or by 
 the highest effectiveness. The preacher, who must 
 endeavor to secure a hearing by all innocent devices, 
 will be constrained to yield a little to the popular 
 taste for fine figures and eloquent descriptions ; but 
 he will seek constantly to train his congregation to 
 a simpler and severer ideal of preaching. The object 
 of it is to convert men, not merely to please them ; 
 
72 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 any ornament that in tlie least mars the design, or 
 diverts attention from it, is meretricious. Ilhistra- 
 tions are for clearer comprehension, and for enforc- 
 ing the truth. As such thej are useful and may be 
 unhesitatingly employed. But when they are intro- 
 duced merely for ornament, or as an exercise of in- 
 genuity, or a display of learning, good taste, no less 
 than earnest piety, condemns them. 
 
VI. 
 STYLE. 
 
 There is in English, as in all highly developed 
 languages, a very sensible difference between the 
 style in favor among the learned, and that nsually 
 employed in common life. The one abounds in 
 inversions, lengthened periods, with subordinate 
 and qualifying clauses, and a technical terminology. 
 Its roots are largely in the Latin, partially from the 
 Greek. To cite extreme instances: Dr. Johnson used 
 a learned style, which Macaulay wittily terms John- 
 sonese ; on the other hand, De Foe's Robinson Crusoe 
 is a master-piece of the popular, or Saxon, style. It 
 need hardly be said that the latter is the more ap- 
 propriate for the speaker. 
 
 Among the great orators of the century Daniel 
 Webster is most noted for his plain, manly, and pop- 
 ular English. If it be the preacher's purpose to be 
 understood, rather than applauded, he will always 
 give preference to the direct, simple, and energetic 
 idioms of what we will venture to call the Web- 
 sterian style. They are eqnally acceptable to the 
 learned and unlearned. They may be the vehicle 
 of plain fact or of majestic argument. If St. Paul 
 
74 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 would rather speak in church " five words with his 
 understanding, that by his voice he might teach 
 others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown 
 tongue," it certainly is desirable to exclude from our 
 pulpits a multitude of terms which often find admis- 
 sion. They may possibly be an accurate expression 
 of the preacher's ideas, but convey no meaning to 
 one-half of the congregation. Luther once said he 
 preached with no reference to the learned doctors 
 and professors in his church, of whom there might 
 be forty, and gave all his attention to edifying the 
 people, of whom there were two thousand. 
 
 Dr. Wayland, in his Letters on the Ministry of 
 the Gospel^ is quite explicit on this point. " I fear 
 that the tendency of the pulpit is to a style which, 
 in a great measure, fails to accomplish the purpose 
 for which it is intended The tendency of habitu- 
 ally using written preparations is to the formation of 
 a written instead of a spoken style ; to cultivate a 
 habit of writing for the press instead of uttering 
 our thoughts to an audience. It is not the language 
 of ordinary thought or ordinary conversation, audit 
 is as if we addressed them in a foreign tongue, which 
 they only imperfectly understand." 
 
 To this agree the ancient canons of eloquence. 
 Thus Aristotle says (Khet. 3, 10-12) : " The receiv- 
 ing information with ease is naturally pleasing to 
 all ; and words are significant of something, so that 
 all those words whatsoever which produce knowledge 
 in the mind are most pleasing. Now the foreign ex- 
 
STYLE. 75 
 
 pressions are unintelligible, and words of common 
 use we already understand. But the metaphor, in 
 the highest degree, produces this effect. The style, 
 then, and the arguments which render the act of in- 
 formation rapid, are elegant." 
 
 The whole training of a liberally-educated minis- 
 ter is away from the plain idioms of common life. 
 His study of the classics has imbued him with ad- 
 miration for the noble words and resounding periods 
 of those finished tongues. His researches in scien- 
 tific theology have supplied a diction bristling with 
 the phrases of the schools. The poets have minis- 
 tered to the elegance of his speech, retaining many 
 words and idioms not often heard in conversation. 
 In the Scriptures, along with much plain Saxon, 
 there is combined a large number of archaic idioms 
 and obsolescent words. . All this learned and culti- 
 vated language has been the vehicle of his thoughts 
 for many years. His written compositions and trial 
 sermons were successful, or otherwise, according as 
 they dealt in the high themes of philosophy, and 
 were clothed in a classic elegance of diction. 
 
 To a certain extent this is as it should be. The 
 preacher is sent to the learned and refined, as well 
 as to others, and should be prepared to address them 
 in the style to which they are accustomed, else they 
 will vote him rude and uncultivated. If it should 
 be his fortune to address this class all through his 
 ministry we should counsel him to write and read 
 every word he utters from the pulpit. Only so can 
 
76 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 he satisfy the critical accuracy of cultivated ears and 
 the exactions which they inevitably impose upon the 
 minister. But this class, although very influential 
 in the church, is not the most numerous, nor by any 
 means the class which most needs to be considered 
 by a preacher who is anxious to do all that he can 
 for Christ. There are the little ones of every flock ; 
 there are the active businessmen, who have not been 
 much to school, but were educated by aftairs ; there 
 are, it is to be hoped, the poor, needing the consola- 
 tions of the Gospel. There are also a multitude of 
 young men, who may understand, possibly, a learned 
 diction but are not interested in it nor moved by it. 
 These classes will be best reached and oftenest bene- 
 fited by "their own tongue, wherein they were born;" 
 the plain vernacular of common life. 
 
 Of course, this may be employed in a written ser- 
 mon, but it will most easily and naturally flow from 
 the lips of one who is speaking, as men everywhere 
 speak to men, without previous elaboration by the 
 pen. It is evident that the solemnities of public 
 service require great caution in avoiding trite or 
 vulgar expressions, any approximation to slang, any- 
 thing offensive to nice ears. This is entirely possible 
 while the style remains closely adherent to the speech 
 of the people. The language of Bryant's Iliad 
 and Odyssey, for example, is almost purely Saxon, 
 and yet no man was more fastidious than he in the 
 use of words. These translations, therefore, are fine 
 specimens of a plain yet elegant style, and a repeated 
 perusal of them would be of no little advantage. 
 
STYLE. 77 
 
 The extemporeanous speaker needs to have 
 full command of a flexible and varied grammat- 
 ical structure. In this respect the English lan- 
 guage ofters fewer difliculties than some others, as, 
 for example, the French, which, as M. Bautain in- 
 forms us in his Art of Extemporaneous Speaking, 
 allows of only one class of terminations for its pe- 
 riods. In English the sentence may be direct or in- 
 verted, the adjective before or after the noun, subor- 
 dinate clauses may be introduced without confusion, 
 the period end with a long or short word, as chance 
 may dictate. One who has learned the capacities of 
 our language and is able to employ them with facility, 
 need seldom be at a loss for the means of extricating 
 himself from any grammatical difficulty. Although 
 a speaker cannot pause as a writer does to consider 
 or recast his sentences, by some painstaking effort he 
 will be able to fashion them on the instant with suf- 
 ficient accuracy. 
 
 But what class of studies will conduce most readily 
 to this very desirable result ? How can a speaker so 
 train himself as to have no fears in this respect, but 
 be able to speak, if necessary, hour after hour, 
 without one ill-constructed period or any hesitation 
 for an appropriate phrase ? Many public men have 
 had this facility, as, for example, William Pitt. 
 Now, the means which were employed by him in 
 gaining his extraordinary command over the resources 
 of his native tongue, are detailed by Professor Good- 
 rich in a most instructive chapter of the British 
 
78 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 Eloquence. Mr. Pitt was a close student of the 
 classics and had read them all before entering Par- 
 liament. " His mode of translating the classics to 
 his tutor was a peculiar one. He did not construe 
 an author in the ordinary way, but after reading a 
 passage of some length in the original he turned it 
 at once into regular English sentences, aiming to 
 give the ideas with great exactness and to express 
 himself at the same time with idiomatic accuracy 
 and ease. Such a course was admirably adapted 
 to the formation of an English style, distinguished 
 at once for copiousness, force, and elegance. To this 
 early training Mr. Pitt always ascribed his extraor- 
 dinary command of language." 
 
 Lord Coleridge, in a recent address to American 
 students, advocated the same means of discipline. 
 Whatever else the classics may do, o.r fail to do, for 
 the student, they will, if rightly used, make him a 
 proficient in the use of English undefiled. Every 
 paragraph rendered is a short extempore speech. 
 Every word " overset," as the Germans say, into his 
 native speech is a lesson in synonyms and exact 
 meanings. This practice, continued for a few minutes 
 every day, will do more to give a perfect command 
 both of the grammatical construction of the lan- 
 guage and its individual words than any other 
 means, for it concentrates attention upon the very 
 point most imperative to a speaker, so far as expres- 
 sion is concerned, namely, a facility so complete as 
 to be unconscious of stating all possible ideas in exact 
 and polished periods. 
 
STYLE. 79 
 
 But a hard-working parish clergyman may object 
 here that he has forgotten his classics, or has no 
 time for them. This is true very likely ; but at least 
 every preacher must be acquainted with the Greek 
 •Testament. If, then, he will make a daily resolution 
 not only to understand it, but to turn a few verses 
 off-hand into the choicest English he is master of, he 
 will not only gain a better comprehension of its in- 
 €stimable truths, but will be able to preach them 
 wdth facility and force. 
 
 All the authorities recommend writing, also, 
 habitual and copious, as productive of finished 
 speech. It can never be intermitted by a speaker 
 who would cultivate all the possibilities of language. 
 But if a young preacher accepts the advice indicated 
 in our first chapter, to write in full one-half of his 
 sermons, he will have done, before his life is ended, 
 writing enough to satisfy the most exacting con- 
 science. And he will have this advantage over one 
 who writes all of his sermons, be they many or few, 
 that he has more time and energy for writing with 
 care. Hasty and slipshod composition is a harm 
 rather than a benefit to style. To write always as 
 well as we can is the road to ultimate improvement. 
 Yet, undue anxiety on this point is a useless burden. 
 To a youth who lamented that he could not satify 
 himself witli his composition Florus said, " Do you 
 wish to write better than you can ? " Quintilian, 
 relating the incident, recommends to write slowly at 
 first, and as well as possible ; facility, he says, will 
 come with practice. 
 
80 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 For fluency and copiousness of speech a great 
 orator has recommended a wide reading of history. 
 This has already been spoken of as a most valuable 
 source of illustrations, and it is equally useful in re- 
 gard of the point we are now considering. The 
 reason is that if there are in the mind a large num- 
 ber of historical facts and instances pertinent to tlie 
 discussion of moral truth, the words in which to 
 express them can never be far to seek. Moreover, 
 history is largely made up of the portraits of re- 
 markable men and women, and of their deeds for 
 good or evil on the great stage of the world. Their 
 personal characteristics, secret springs of action, and 
 all the arguments on either side which are elicited 
 by changes in government and society, are clearly 
 unfolded by the best historians. The mind becomes, 
 as it were, saturated with nice discriminations of 
 character and conduct. Its thoughts, for days to- 
 gether, are upon approval or condemnation of the 
 mighty men who have made the ages re-echo with 
 their achievements. The footsteps of the Lord, mov- 
 ing over the troubled waters of human afl:airs, and 
 making them quiet with a great calm, are evident to 
 the eye of faith. Thus the mind is filled with images 
 of moral and religious truth, acted on a heroic scale 
 and through periods long enough to show the ulti- 
 mate issues. The intellect of the preacher is stimu- 
 lated by great thoughts and illustrious actions. It 
 perceives fresh views and has a greater amplitude of 
 emotions. In this way history becomes a help to 
 
STYLE. 81 
 
 fertility of thought and that copiousness which does 
 not consist of an abundance of words merely, but 
 in abundance of sentiments appropriately expressed . 
 
 There are many hours in which the most energetic 
 man is incapable of severe stud3^ His mind is 
 weary. It can produce nothing. It cannot even 
 attend to serious reading. But it may be refreshed 
 by works of travel, biography, and general liter- 
 ature. We would, however, caution the extempore 
 preacher to avoid that large class of popular writ- 
 ings, which have a wide circulation because of low 
 dialect and profane jests. Apart from any question 
 of morals, he must guard his speech against any vul- 
 garity. If the latter is never in his mind, it will not 
 be on his tongue. In this connection, also, it is wise 
 to remember the precept of Dr. Johnson, to habitually 
 employ the best language, for a habit of elegant 
 speech on all ordinary occasions is a great assistance 
 to elegance in public. 
 
 A diction studiously plain and practical may be, 
 occasionally, ornamented with excellent effect by 
 rare or antique words, whether drawn from the 
 Bible, or from the early poets. If only used in such 
 a connection that they can be readily understood, 
 the humblest audience is pleased to hear them. 
 Scientific terminology may, also, be employed, but 
 it is very essential that it be used with precision, or 
 some critical hearer will presently remind the 
 preacher of the vaulting ambition which o'erleaps 
 itself. 
 
 There is a danger besetting all extempore speak- 
 
^2 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 ers, and to be anxiously avoided : of indulging too 
 freely in a declamatory style. The speaker is always 
 under a considerable degree of excitement, and in 
 this condition it is easy to be too emphatic, to make 
 sweeping charges against denominations or classes of 
 men, to state generaltruths without limitation, utter 
 frequent apostrophes, use startling metaphors, or to 
 speak in a high monotone and as loudly as possible. 
 These are faults to be shunned with the greatest 
 care. They distress refined hearers. They add 
 nothing to the impressiveness of the sermon, but 
 rather detract from it. A calm, unexcited style is 
 always preferable. More than the whirlwind or the 
 thunder, it is the still, small voice that reaches the 
 heart. Probably the best means of avoiding this 
 fault is to have a variety of- clearly-defined points in 
 the discourse. They make natural breaks in the 
 delivery. One is finished before another is taken 
 up. Should the preacher accidentally reach too 
 great a momentum in the development of one point, 
 and become excited to a declamatory fervor, he is 
 checked and brought to his feet again by the neces- 
 sity of stopping to explain and argue the next one. 
 A weighty and argumentative discourse is seldom 
 declamatory. Diligent preparation of separate 
 topics prevents soaring on the pinions of excited 
 rhapsody. 
 
 An analogous and equally grave defect is : exu- 
 berance of language, combined with paucity of sen- 
 timents. This is a strong temptation to one w^ho 
 
STYLE. 83 
 
 must speak, when the hour arrives, whether he 
 wishes or not ; but making remarks to " fill up the 
 time " is an abomination that demands abatement, 
 in the prajer-meeting or in the pulpit. St. Augus- 
 tine speaks of certain heretical teachers of his 
 day, who gracefully presented a golden cup with 
 nothing in it. This is not a fault of heretics only. 
 Among the orthodox, one may find men who have a 
 marvelous gift of words, and, seemingly, little else. 
 It is easy for them to arise, anywhere, and pour forth 
 a flood of pious expressions, not unpleasing to hear ; 
 but if one stops to analyze them, there is seen to be 
 little but the words. There is behind them no 
 considerate thought, or exact information, or even 
 genuine feeling. It is this class of preachers who 
 have done much to bring the art of extemporaneous 
 speaking into contempt. Practical men are impa- 
 tient of a deluge of words. They would rather listen 
 to a halting speaker who gives them the facts, than 
 to the most graceful speaker who does not. If the 
 preacher never speaks without having something 
 useful to communicate, and if, knowing that he 
 must speak, he is careful to prepare a suflicient body 
 of thought, there v/ill be little danger of empty 
 loquacity. 
 
 The Spanish proverb, contemptuously describing 
 a prolix writer, says : " He leaves no ink in his ink- 
 stand." Of a verbose speaker, we might similarly 
 say : " He leaves no words in his vocabulary." 
 
 Probably no more concise or useful precept for 
 
84 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 avoiding faults of this sort can be found than is con- 
 tained in the mediaeval saying : 
 
 '^Qui hene vult fari, debet bene prcEmeditari:'''' who 
 would speak well, should well premeditate. Pro- 
 tracted meditation of the subject not only supplies 
 an affluence of ideas, but clothes them in lit words 
 which rise duly and unsought to the lips as the 
 speech progresses. 
 
 As an aid to the forming of an effective, popular 
 style, it is of undoubted service to hear as many as 
 possible of the best orators. To imitate others is 
 natural, and unconsciously we may catch something 
 of their tone or manner, l^or should a preacher 
 confine himself to hearing those of his own profession. 
 It will benefit him to listen to a wide range of 
 oratory. Lecturers, political speakers, able lawyers 
 addressing the jury, debates in legislatures and in 
 Congress, conventions of bankers, and meetings for 
 the advancement of science, constantly recurring in 
 our wide-awake country, are invaluable helps to one 
 who would learn the art of extem]3ore speech. The 
 student finds that there are many different ways of 
 speaking, equally effective. He sees that very dis- 
 tinguished men make mistakes, and hesitate in their 
 speech, and concludes that he need not be crushed by 
 his own deficiencies. The most perfect orators will 
 secure his admiration, and inspire an ardor to equal 
 them. The discussion of a variety of great interests 
 gives breadth and vigor to his thinking. For these 
 reasons, all good speakers are to be heard as often 
 as circumstances permit. 
 
STYLE. 85 
 
 Among the practical precepts for cultivating a 
 popular style of speech, there is none more within 
 the province of a minister, than that which urges 
 him to hold frequent conversations with men, on 
 serious subjects. Says Lord Bacon, " Eeading 
 maketh a full man, conference a ready man, 
 and writing an exact man." Now he who is 
 a recluse, shut up among his books all the w^eek, 
 will hardly find it easy to address the people 
 " without book " on Sunday. He may be a " full 
 man " and an " exact man," but will be very far 
 from being a "ready man." On the other hand, if 
 he has seen more or less of his fellow-men through 
 the week, and conversed with them freely and 
 seriously, his mind has been all along in the precise 
 attitude of public speaking, and he is practising 
 every day what he must do on Sunday. 
 
 And we feel no hesitation in urging upon every 
 clergyman this habit of free and constant conversa- 
 tion on religious themes, because that is what is 
 also required by a proper performance of parish 
 duty. Every visit to a parishioner affords an oppor- 
 tunity of speaking words fraught with spiritual 
 advice or consolation. By the bedside of the sick or 
 dying, all his resources of faith and hope will be 
 frequently demanded. Business men often need the 
 clearing up of some perplexed question of moral or 
 social duty, as of Sunday laws, or temperance legis- 
 lation, or dealing with paupers. Little children 
 welcome tlie kindly and sympathetic words of an 
 
86 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 admired pastor. Thus, in the direct line of ordinary 
 clerical duty there is ample scope and verge for the 
 practice of that ready and apposite address, which 
 leads men gladly into the presence of their God, and 
 renders the public service of the Sabbath both a 
 delight and an edification. And it will have none 
 the less effect in the pulpit, but rather more, if what 
 he says from the holy desk matches what he has 
 already said at their homes during the week. 
 
YII. 
 MEMOKY. 
 
 To one unfamiliar with the methods by which a 
 trained speaker holds the substance of his speech in 
 his memory, and keeps it so fresh as to be ready for 
 use on the instant, the feat seems difficult or well-nigh 
 impossible. But the memory is capable of surprising 
 cultivation. While there is a great difference between 
 men in regard to this faculty, any intelligent person can 
 preserve a fresh remembrance of a far greater num- 
 ber of things than would at first be supposed. Two 
 conditions are necessary, firstly, interest in the mat- 
 ter ; secondly, familiarity with it. 
 
 No one can remember the things that do not 
 engage his attention. He surveys them with a list- 
 less indifference, which results in no impression on 
 the mind. Strange and unfamiliar objects also are 
 hard to recall, if numerous, because the intellect 
 cannot classify them with sufficient rapidity. But 
 what is of great interest to any one and also perfectly 
 familiar in its general outline can always be remem- 
 bered with ease, however multiplied the details may 
 be. The postman carries hundreds of names in his 
 recollection, and picks out the mail belonging to his 
 district as rapidly as he can sort it. The clerk of a 
 
83 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 large store remembers the location of his goods, their 
 quality and prices ; the physician a multitude of pre- 
 scriptions ; the lawyer a wide range of precedents. 
 Each remem.bers that which most interests him and 
 is most familiar from constant repetition. 
 
 Mrs. Oliphant, in a recent paper on the charac- 
 teristics of Queen Victoria, affirms that the Queen, 
 wdth royal courtesy, never forgets any one that has 
 been presented to her. 
 
 Lord Macaulay tells, in one of his letters, of his 
 habit of repeating from memory large portions of 
 Paradise Lost, both as an exercise of the faculty and 
 by way of passing the time. Once, on a journey to 
 Dublin, across the channel, feeling indisposed to 
 sleep, he sat upon the deck of the steamer and re- 
 peated for diversion a large portion of it, ending the 
 eighth book as he saw the lights of Dublin harbor. 
 These are cited as examples of prodigious memory, 
 cultivated in particular directions. It is not claimed 
 that they are easy of imitation, but they prove to 
 what an amazing extent this faculty can be strength- 
 ened, if suitable care is given to its improvement. 
 
 TJie memory is capacious of that which has once 
 become familiar. It has pigeon-holes, so to speak, 
 already prepared, in which may be stored new facts 
 or thoughts, under their respective categories. In 
 virtue of this principle an extemporaneous speaker, 
 after a while, finds that there is no difficulty what- 
 ever in remembering anything he has decided to say. 
 At first there may be some trouble, as in all begin- 
 
MEMORY. 89 
 
 nings, but the trouble diminishes with practice, until 
 it finally disappears, and the memory acts spontane- 
 ously, almost unconsciously. He is, presumably, 
 speaking of themes which intensely interest him. 
 They have been the themes of study, meditation, and 
 prayer for years, in the seminar}^, and in liis pastorate. 
 His reading converges upon them. He has written 
 much on every topic likely to be treated in the pulpit. 
 He has recast it in his mind many times, stated and 
 illustrated it in every conceivable way ; has discussed 
 it in long walks with hi& fellow-students, and debated 
 it among his brother ministers. The substance of 
 the Gospel becomes in this way as familiar to a min- 
 ister as the reports of celebrated cases are to a law- 
 yer, or the symptoms of diseases to a physician. 
 Presently, all these facts, thoughts, texts, arguments 
 will begin to fall into their proper classification in his 
 mind. Provided his thinking be close, his ideas 
 definite, his information precise, the memory will be- 
 come a vast magazine of thoughts, each labeled and 
 put in its appropriate niche. If only the magazine is 
 kept full by persistent and well-directed study, there 
 need be no fear of a deficiency at any particular time. 
 In addition to this general furnishing of the mem- 
 ory, which, indeed, an}^ minister requires before he 
 can even write a sermon w4th ease, the special re- 
 quirements of extempore speaking will soon train 
 the faculty to a degree which could not have been 
 believed without the trial. The speaker is compelled 
 to exercise his memory, and it grows strong by use. 
 
90 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 Suppose now that he sets about to prepare a new 
 sermon. It will be on a theme he has often handled, 
 but he intends to weave certain novel features into 
 the present treatment, use some new illustrations, 
 make a few fresh applications of it. Having fixed 
 the novel features in his memory, by conning them, 
 as one would learn a lesson at school, so firmly that 
 no accident can dislodge them, or, if there be any 
 doubt, having notes to be used in case of necessity ; 
 under each division he jjlaces in his mind or on the 
 brief the argument of that head, certain facts to be 
 stated, certain metaphors to be employed. 
 
 At first, the preacher will find that some of these 
 subordinate points escape him. The remedy is to 
 provide many more than he can use, as the sports- 
 man, for unforeseen emergencies, carries many more 
 cartridges than he actually needs. After a while 
 he will be so trained to recollect his points that 
 seldom will any important thought elude him. But 
 if such a thing should happen, he will not waste 
 any time in theefi'ort to recall it, but will invent an- 
 other to take its place. Public speaking is partly 
 from memory, partly from immediate invention, the 
 speaker himself can hardly tell which ; for both 
 memory and invention assist in the formation of 
 every paragraph. 
 
 Quintilian recommends a little note-book contain- 
 ing memorabilia, to be held in the hand by any 
 speaker who lacks confidence in his memory. It can 
 easily be referred to should occasion demand, but the 
 
MEMORY. 9 1 
 
 less dependence there is placed upon it the more ten- 
 acious the memory will become. Still there are 
 many things which are best read from notes. We 
 once heard Charles Sumner deliver an eloquent ora- 
 tion before a crowded assembly. He spoke from a 
 full mind, had probably written the speech, but did 
 not appear to be recitiiig it, but rather to be speak- 
 ing as the moment prompted. He had frequent occa- 
 sion to quote public documents, and the speeches of 
 other statesmen, or matters of the kind, and when 
 the time came drew out a little book, with newspaper 
 cuttings pasted in, and turning to the place, read 
 what he wished. Then putting away the book, he 
 continued his speech. The pause made in consult- 
 ing his notes was not, by any means, ungrateful to 
 the audience. The preacher can introduce quota- 
 tions of some length, scriptural passages, statistical 
 reports, in a similar way. To attempt to remember 
 them involves labor, and, besides, gives an appear- 
 ance of artificiality ; for all know that such things 
 would have to be learned before they could be re- 
 peated. 
 
 It is poor policy to attempt to preserve in the 
 memory the exact words of a discourse. It requires 
 a painful effort, and, especially, it confines attention 
 to minutiae, when the mind should be expending its 
 force upon the principal ideas. A few words, acci- 
 dentally dropped, will disarrange the whole sermon. 
 How difficult it is to learn any composition word 
 for word, will be appreciated by any one who tries 
 
92 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 to commit to memory even a short psalm. Some 
 men have claimed, it is true, to be able to repeat a 
 sermon, after two or three readings, but, if so, their 
 memory was an exceptional one. And we are in- 
 clined, respectfully, to differ with them, as to the 
 fact of their repeating the exact words. A careful 
 observer who should have the manuscript in his 
 hand, and follow the delivery, w^ould find, we think, 
 many discrepancies in the text. There might be a 
 general correspondence between the written and 
 spoken discourses, but it is very unlikely that they 
 would agree exactly, even for a single paragraph. 
 That is, having written out his sermon, he proceeds 
 to extemporize another on the same subject ; which, 
 as we have seen in tlie second chapter, is the method 
 recommended by Dr. John HalL An extempore 
 sermon, based upon a written one, ought to be a 
 very good one. 
 
 It will be easier, however, to remember the sub- 
 stance of what has been meditated, than of what has 
 been w^ritten, for the reason that, in meditating, one 
 goes over the subject more frequently, and also re- 
 members it by succession of ideas, rather than words. 
 Ideas, well-linked, draw^ each other, like a chain or a 
 net; words are a heap of leaves, easy to collect, hard 
 to retain. 
 
 The subject we are considering is discussed by 
 Fenelon, in an interesting passage of his dialogues 
 on oratory. Although the general practice among 
 the great preachers of his day was to write their 
 
MEMORY. 93 
 
 sermons and commit them to memory, he argues 
 against it, on various grounds. His chosen method 
 was to possess himself fully with his subject, and 
 then speak upon it in a free, bold way, witliout care 
 for elaboration of the lanouao^e. 
 
 There is a great advantage, so far as memory is 
 concerned, in having several fully developed illus- 
 trations in the sermon. They form a sensible image 
 of the thought, and are easily retained by the im- 
 aginative faculty, and recall the ideas they are in- 
 tended to illustrate. What we see, says Horace, is 
 more easily remembered than what we hear. Sim- 
 ilarly, what is clearly presented to the mental retina 
 by a metaphor or comparison, remains more vivid 
 than any abstract proposition. If the discourse 
 should be made on this account more figurative, 
 more replete with imagery, than a written one usu- 
 ally is, it is a change in the right direction. What 
 is easy for the preacher to remember is likely, also, 
 to be more easily remembered by liis audience. It 
 will be found on trial, we think, that people are 
 more apt to remember the striking illustrations, than 
 any other parts of the sermon. Facts also of an in- 
 teresting nature, anecdotes, or special applications 
 of the subject are easy to recall, for the same reason, 
 namely, that they are a kind of concrete embodi- 
 ment of the thought. They define it and bring it 
 vividly before the mind. The proposition and argu- 
 ments connected with them by association of ideas, 
 will recur to the memory, even after years of latency. 
 
94 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 Descriptions of natural scenery are, also, easily re- 
 membered, if tlie speaker lias in mind a lively image 
 of the scene he describes. The scriptural narratives 
 afford a similar facility, in that the pictures pre- 
 sented are simple, well-defined, and familiar in their 
 general outline, from our earliest recollection. 
 
 In addition to the special qualities of the dis- 
 course, which make it easy of remembrance, there 
 are general preparations, of great use in enabling 
 the preacher to remember all discourses. Every- 
 thing which renders our knowledge, of whatever 
 kind, more definite and compact, is an assistance to- 
 wards its remembrance. This should be, especially, 
 kept in mind, in our methods of studying the Bible. 
 The scriptures are the preacher's arsenal. He 
 should be perfectly familiar with his weapons, and 
 the place where they are kept. 
 
 It is said of a certain clergyman that, in prepara- 
 tion for his ministry, he committed to memory, in 
 the course of two or three years, the entire Greek 
 Testament, distributing all the principal texts to 
 their appropriate topics, in his mind ; so that, if at 
 any time he desired to speak on any one of them, 
 the passages bearing upon it all recurred to him at 
 once. It is similarly told of one of the fathers that 
 during his retirement among the monks, before he 
 began to preach, he accomplished the almost incre- 
 dible task of committing the whole Bible to memory, 
 so that all tlie principal parts of it were ready for 
 use whenevei*, in the pulpit, he had need of them. 
 
MEMORY. 95 
 
 While sucli amazing feats of memory are somewhat 
 too heroic for ordinary ministers, it is easy to per- 
 ceive what benefit accrues from this kind of acquain- 
 tance with the Holy Scriptures. To have a large 
 number of proof texts, illustrative instances, and 
 striking statements of eacli great doctrine, clearly 
 and methodically arranged in the mind, and famil- 
 iarized by frequent revision, is a capital preparation 
 for preaching extemporaneously upon them. 
 
 The seminary note-book can be utilized for this 
 purpose, if it is, as it should be, filled with a careful 
 summary of all the principal doctrines, as the pro- 
 fessor has gone through them in the class. In hi& 
 lectures the doctrines of Christianity have been stated 
 clearly, defined and limited, all the arguments pre- 
 sented for and against, objections answered, proof- 
 texts adduced, false theories exploded, and the his- 
 tory of them examined. A diligent student will not 
 only have this information carefully written out and 
 preserved in his note-book, but will review it often^ 
 adding to it notes of texts or commentaries ; modify- 
 ing, perhaps, as he grows older, some of the idea& 
 which he may have apprehended too crudely at the 
 first. This careful revision of points once learned^ 
 fixes tliem firmly in the memory. Whatever can be 
 said on any given doctrine is already in substance, 
 present in the mind. There may be constant varia- 
 tion in the statement, but the great principle i& 
 fastened in the recollection for all time. It becomes 
 in Scripture phrase, one of tlie " wells of salvation,'^ 
 
96 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 from Avliicli lie may joyfully and perpetually draw 
 the water of life for the benefit of his people. 
 
 But other stores of knowledge, adapted for extem- 
 poraneous use, should be accumulated in similar 
 ways. Every minister needs to keep his stock of 
 information, of every kind, replete from the peren- 
 nial labors of his study ; but it especially behooves 
 those who desire to have a ready and extemporane- 
 ous command over it, to frequently review whatever 
 has once been learned. Some one has said, that the 
 object of study is to render our knowledge more and 
 more exact, more and more extended, more and 
 more connected. This is a good description of the 
 effort required of those who must depend on their 
 memory in speaking. The principal facts of history, 
 the main outlines of philosophy, the leading princi- 
 ples of science, should be kept fresh in the mind by 
 incessant revision. Our knowledge should be packed, 
 as it were, in small and portable parcels, ready for 
 instant use. 
 
 A chronological association of names and events 
 is of great assistance to the memory. This would 
 seem to have been a favorite mode with Edward 
 Everett, of assisting in the recollection of his 
 elegantly written and memorized addresses. At 
 least, he repeatedly took occasion to enumerate the 
 great events that happened contemporaneously, with 
 whatever he might be describing. If he referred to 
 Galileo, for example, the name would recall the 
 reigning sovereign, the state of the church, the condi- 
 
MEMORY. 97 
 
 tion of the people, and the discoveries of that age. 
 A good chart is of immense service in fixing in their^ 
 proper location and chronological relation the great 
 events of past eras indelibly upon the memory. A 
 few dates become rallying points of a large nnmber of 
 facts which cluster around them, and are associated 
 together in the recollection. 
 
 To have prepared, in brief compass, a carefully 
 written digest of the principal ethical systems of the 
 non-Christian world, is an admirable mnemonic help 
 to the preacher. A page or two of the common- 
 place-book thus devoted to Plato, Confucius, Bud- 
 dha, Mahomet, embodying a clear statement of the 
 chief features of their systems, their correspondence 
 with and contrast to the Gospel, will be readily 
 remembered, and will furnish the apt material of a 
 hundred arguments. It would be a good plan to do 
 the same with the prominent anti- Christian theories 
 of modern writers, such as Mill, Spencer, Heeckel, 
 Strauss, and Ren an. These must be studied in any 
 event. Our advice is to write and preserve a short 
 summary of each, and to make such .frequent 
 reviews of them as to be ready to state and refute 
 them on any occasion. 
 
 The so-called " primers " of science, that are now 
 published in such numbers, may conveniently lie 
 upon the study table, to be caught up in an idle 
 hour. A glance at them will refresh the mind, by 
 diversion from its ordinary channels of thought, and 
 will also serve to give a ready and accurate knowl- 
 
98 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 edge, in a portable shape, of all the new discoveries. 
 Any ignorance of scientific progress is instantly 
 detected by some one in the audience, and detracts 
 greatly from a minister's proper influence. More, 
 indeed, than it should ; for science is a sort of idol 
 in our day, before which all men are ready to burn 
 incense, and to extol its triumphs. If the minister 
 knows it as well as the majority of educated men, 
 he will be able to refer to it on occasion, in a way 
 that will bring no discredit upon his intelligence, 
 and that will also be of great service in illustrating 
 and defending Christian truth. 
 
 The writer hopes that he has now succeeded in 
 making clear what, in his view, is the underlying 
 principle of a proper training of the memory, so far 
 as is related to extempore speaking; it is, that the 
 speaker be so much interested in his profession, and 
 so familiar with all the facts and thoughts in any 
 way connected with it, that his mind has become a 
 store-house filled with materials ready to hand, and 
 suitable for all occasions thaj; are likely to arise. It 
 is not so much one speech that he attempts to recol- 
 lect, as the skillfully shaped materials of many 
 speeches, which may be combined and re-combined, 
 in any variety and in any proportion. 
 
 The more thoroughly furnished the mind has 
 become, in every direction, the more easily will it 
 retain the substance of any particular discourse. 
 For, as was before remarked, the most of the dis- 
 course cannot be new, save in statement. Its ideas, 
 
MEMORY. 99 
 
 facts, philosophy, are all but a part of the preacher's 
 general stock of knowledge, A single sermon is 
 only a selection from the store. Having made an 
 analysis defining the course of thought to be pur- 
 sued, and having put under each head catch-words 
 indicative of historical instances, or philosophical 
 theories, that are to be used in support of the argu- 
 ment, the speaker has noted all that needs to be 
 fixed in his memory. The rest will recur of itself at 
 the proper time. 
 
 Some speakers have advised the beginner to have 
 a few sentences written and committed to memory, 
 at the beginning and end of the sermon ; together 
 with some balanced periods to be scattered through 
 it, and thus give an appearance of finish. Our 
 decided impression is, that this is poor policy. Such 
 sentences would be, in any event, a patch-work sewed 
 on, and out of harmony with the rest. Most likely, 
 also, they will be hard to adjust to the remaining 
 parts, so as to seem to come in naturally. The best 
 way is, to attempt no memorizing of sentences or 
 words whatever. Let the mind be entirely concen- 
 trated on the ideas to be developed, and the end to be 
 accomplished by the sermon. It may happen, some- 
 times, that important thoughts are forgotten, or 
 poorly developed, for the mind is not always at its 
 best. There are dull days, and there will be fail- 
 ures, as in all professions. But, usually, ideas that 
 have been properly meditated can be expressed, with 
 at least as much facility before the audience, as they 
 previously were in the study. 
 
100 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 Unless greatly embarrassed, in whicli case it is 
 hardly possible to speak effectively, the mind acts 
 much more freely in presence of the people than any- 
 where else. There is real work to be done, and the 
 speaker is thoroughly in earnest to do it. The ex- 
 pectant attitude of the audience is enough to stimu- 
 late the most sluggish orator. All the powers of the 
 intellect and the heart are aroused to their utmost 
 tension, and the whole man is alive to the emer- 
 gency. So far from this being any hindrance to 
 speech, it is a potent reenforcement of all those 
 qualities of style which are most needed in public 
 address : pith, point, directness, force. Like the 
 melted iron running from the furnace into the molds 
 prepared for it, our thought and feeling are fused 
 into one fiery stream of ardent expression, setting 
 forth our ideas with vigorous energy. There may 
 be, now and then, some imperfection or lack of 
 polish, which would have been remedied by the pen 
 had the discourse been written ; but such blemishes 
 are little noticed in an earnest speech, and are more 
 than made good by the increased vigor of the style. 
 
 What was said in the second chapter of the neces- 
 sity of repeated formulation in the mind of the 
 entire sermon, while preparing it, in order to secure 
 flexibility of language, may be recalled in connec- 
 tion with our present topic. For the words which 
 have once been associated with the ideas are latent 
 in the memory, and sure to revive when needed. 
 'Not even the most unlearned man has any trouble in 
 
MEMORY. 101 
 
 telling what tie knows perfectly. It is what every 
 one is doing daily, and all day long. Why should a 
 preacher have any more difficulty in the pulpit 
 than anywhere else ? He will not, after having once 
 mastered the novelty of the situation. How this 
 may be most satisfactorily accomplished will be told 
 in the next chapter. 
 
 10* 
 
YIII. 
 FIRST ATTEMPTS. 
 
 Beyond a peradventure the chief difficulty in the 
 mode of preaching we are discussing is to make a 
 beginning. It is the first step that costs in this as in 
 so many other things. The timorous spirit stands 
 shivering on the brink and fears to make the plunge. 
 On the other hand, too venturesome a courage is 
 equally to be guarded against, for it is the fatal mis- 
 take of many to be too ambitious in their first 
 attempts. To enter, for example, the pulpit of an 
 old, established church and attempt to preach extem- 
 poraneously for the first time to a large and cultiva- 
 ted congregation, is as foolhardy as it would be for 
 a cabin-boy to take command of an ocean steamer. 
 There are years of practice necessary before such an 
 eftbrt could have even a tolerable chance of success. 
 
 But fortunately for most young preachers, they 
 are not often called to minister to a large and critical 
 congregation, unless it be temporarily ; and in that 
 case they would better confine themselves to their 
 written sermons. 
 
 Althouo-h the dream of the ambitious student is to 
 be called to such a church for his first pastorate, as a 
 general rule it is a detriment rather than an advan- 
 
FIRST ATTEMPTS. 103 
 
 tage. The heavy burden of responsibility, the exact- 
 ing and unceasing duties, the sharp criticism, if they 
 do not stimulate the minister to the impairing of his 
 health, will prove such a burden that he will gladly 
 lay it down after a few years. 
 
 Moreover, a prominent position of this kind is 
 almost fatal to any cultivation of the power of 
 extemporaneous preaching. To attempt it, even, 
 would be too great a venture. The best place in 
 which to learn is in humble localities, and before 
 small and uncritical audiences. 
 
 Says Dr. Dwiglit in his instructions to the senior 
 class, reported by his son : the best way to succeed is 
 " by making a first essay among such an assembly 
 as will be least likely to embarrass you, and select a 
 subject with which you are best acquainted. Choose, 
 if you can, a topic which you have argued before. 
 Ouard against a failure in the first experiment, for if 
 you fail once you will be likely to fail again. Dr. 
 Dana, of this town, has never practiced extempo- 
 raneous speaking, and he has given as a reason for it 
 that he was unsuccessful in his first attempt and 
 never made a second." 
 
 In country school-houses and dug-outs, in mission- 
 ary stations on the frontier or in large cities, in cot- 
 tages, prayer-meetings, and Bible classes, are the 
 proper opportunities for a successful commencement. 
 With a heart full of love for Christ, and an earnest 
 desire to do good, a young minister preaches in such 
 a place as best he can. He is not thinking of what 
 
104 EXTEMPORE PREACHINa. 
 
 appearance he shall make. There are no church 
 committees to please, nor anxious deacons to note his 
 mistakes. The audiences are not in a mood to criti- 
 cize, but are receptive of the truth, easily responsive 
 to candor and earnestness. He expounds, argues, 
 illustrates, exliorts, not to make an oration, or even 
 to practice his gift, but to win souls. He thinks not 
 of himself at all, but of the Master and his vrork, 
 praying for the Holy Spirit to help and guide him. 
 In this case, as in all others, " he that loseth his , life 
 shall save it." While trying in a humble vray to 
 do good to the people, he will gradually learn to 
 preach by preaching : as one learns to skate by 
 skating, or to swim by swimming. Insensibly he 
 will gain coolness and confidence before an assem- 
 bly. He will learn to think on his feet. Words 
 will come tripping to his tongue, nimble servitors to 
 do his bidding. Homely and cogent illustration will 
 become a habit. He can preach as briefly or as long 
 as he pleases. Any man almost can do so much if 
 he is really in earnest and is willing to make a suf- 
 ficiently humble beginning. 
 
 But this is only the commencement of his train- 
 ing. It is necessary, in order to make the most of 
 these opportunities, to prepare as fully for each occa- 
 sion as time will allow. The preacher should select 
 his text with care, make a full analysis, meditate 
 the propositions, and go over each point in his mind 
 for an audience in a school-house as for any other. 
 He should avoid all careless expressions, allow no 
 
FIRST ATTEMPTS. 105 
 
 infelicities of diction which he can help, and, in gen- 
 eral, do his best every time. We would advise also 
 as man}' repetitions as possible of the same discourse 
 that it may be improved and polished by frequent 
 re visa! . In this way eveYj lecture or prayer-meet- 
 ing talk, or exhortation to Sunday scholars, or 
 funeral address, becomes a means of improvement. 
 
 If it should be his lot presently to be called to a 
 small church he will, perhaps, find courage to ad- 
 dress them, of a rainy day, or a Sunday evening, 
 without his notes. They will, probably, be pleased 
 and ask him to continue his extemporaneous efforts; 
 but even if they do not, he will make bold to repeat 
 them for the sake of ultimate advantage. After 
 some years of practice, if it be in him to learn at all, 
 he will have sufficient skill to venture before large 
 audiences without his manuscript, but even yet we 
 would counsel him prudently to select a sermon 
 which he has often preached before and is perfectly 
 familiar with. 
 
 But if, after so much eifort, he cannot speak ex- 
 temporaneously with ease to himself and pleasure to 
 his hearers, he would better read his sermons, for the 
 remainder of his life, as so many great and famous 
 preachers are content to do. 
 
 As the most potent encouragement we can receive 
 is from the example of those who have labored and 
 succeeded in the path we are trying, it will be of 
 service to meditate in this connection the graphic 
 account which John Bunyan has given of his first 
 
106 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 attempts at public exhortation. Although best known 
 by his books, Bunyan was a very popular preacher 
 in his day. Everywhere through the country he was 
 greeted by throngs of listeners, and when he gave 
 his annual sermons in London the house was too 
 small for the congregation. It will be seen with 
 what self-distrust, and from how small beginnings 
 he attained his eminence. The account is taken 
 from Philip's TAfe of Bunyan. 
 
 " And now I am speaking of my experience, I 
 will in this place thrust in a word or two concerning 
 my preaching the Word, and God's dealing with me 
 in that particular also. 
 
 " After I had been about five or six years awakened 
 and helped to see for myself both the want and the 
 worth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and also enabled to 
 venture my soul upon Him, — some of the most able 
 among the saints with us (I say the most able for 
 judgment and holiness of life) did perceive, as they 
 conceived, that God had counted me worthy to un- 
 derstand something of His will in His holy and 
 blessed Word, and had given me utterance to express 
 in some measure what I said to others for edification; 
 therefore, they desired me — and that wdth much 
 earnestness — that I would be willing, at some times, 
 to take in hand in one of the meetings, to speak a 
 word of exhortation unto them. 
 
 " After this, sometimes, when some of them did 
 go into the country to teach they would also that I 
 should go with them ; where, though as yet I did 
 
FIRST ATTEMPTS'. 107 
 
 not nor durst not make use of my gift in an open 
 way, yet more privately still, as I came amongst the 
 good people in those places, I did sometimes speak 
 a word of admonition nnto them also. But in this 
 work^ as in all others, I had my temptations attend- 
 ing me and that of divers kinds ; as sometimes I 
 should be assaulted with great discouragement there- 
 in, fearing that I should not be able to speak a word 
 at all to edification ; nay, that I should not be able 
 to speak sense unto the people, at which times I should 
 have such a strange faintness and strengthlessnes& 
 seize upon my body that my legs have scarce been 
 able to carry me to the place of exercise .... I have^ 
 also, at some times, even when I have begun to speak 
 the word with much clearness, evidence and liberty 
 of speech, yet been, before the ending of that oppor- 
 tunity, so blinded and so estranged from the things 
 I have been speaking, and have been also so straight- 
 ened in my speech, as to utterance before the people, 
 that I have been as if I had not known or remem- 
 bered what I have been about, or as if my head had 
 been in a bag all the time of my exercise." 
 
 The preacher need not chafe at the necessity of 
 humble beginnings and small success at the first. 
 No man expects to reach perfection in any other art 
 without a long and tedious training, beginning at the 
 most insignificant details and working up to the 
 grand results. Painters, sculptors, architects, finan- 
 ciers, authors, generals, are developed by innumerable 
 efibrts and by frequent failures before they reach em- 
 
108 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 inent success. They are content if twenty years of 
 steady application to their profession will finally win 
 them public recognition and support ; why should an 
 extemporaneous speaker expect to succeed with less ? 
 His art is as difficult as any, as important, and as 
 brilliant in its rewards. 
 
 So far as concerns the pecuniary recompense 
 merely, a leading orator commands any price he 
 chooses to name. And, better than money, he has 
 boundless influence with the people for furthering 
 any great patriotic or benevolent enterprise. His 
 name, at a day's notice, crowds the largest hall in 
 any city. And if he be also a holy man, wise in 
 winning souls, his trophies, by divine help, shall be 
 as the stars that shine forever. All this is worth w^ork- 
 ing for and waiting for. 
 
 But it may be objected that this practice of extem- 
 pore speech before smaller assemblies is apart of the 
 necessary experience of every minister ; and still 
 multitudes of them will not ventnre into the pulpit 
 without a manuscript. 
 
 This is true, and it is certainly somewhat ]*emark- 
 able, that men of profound learning, and ardent 
 piety, richly furnished with every literary qualifica- 
 tion, — who can, and do, speak with perfect freedom 
 everywhere else, in prayer-meetings and preparatory 
 lectures, in out-districts and halls, in conventions, on 
 public platforms, before large popular assemblies, — 
 should be suddenly smitten with dumbness, on enter- 
 ing a pulpit, and hardly dare to give even a notice, 
 
FJRST ATTEMPTS. 109 
 
 unless it is written ; would be surprising, were it not 
 so common. The reason appears to be that both 
 preachers and people have tacitly agreed that a dif- 
 ferent standard of speech shall rule, in the sacred 
 desk, from what is accepted everywhere else. But, 
 so far as it diifers from the ordinary style of serious 
 conversation, the standard is a false and conventional 
 one, and should be dethroned as soon as possible. 
 It is hurtful to the efficiency of w^ritten sermons, 
 and fatal to any power of extemporaneous utter- 
 ance. To preach profound and learned discourses, 
 full of the technical terms of theology, may be a fine 
 method of showing the preacher's ability, but it is a 
 very poor means of doing good. The unlearned 
 may, in their simplicity, admire and applaud, but 
 
 " The hungry sheep look up and are not fed, 
 But swol'n with the wind and the rank mist they draw." 
 
 It is high time that the pulpit should return to a 
 more straightforward and common-sense mode of 
 preaching. The preacher in the pulpit is a man 
 speaking to men, exactly as in any other place, and 
 ability to speak elsewhere is a warrant of his capa- 
 city to address them there. It is very probable that, 
 at first, he will make some mistakes in the grammar 
 or the construction of his periods. He may hesitate 
 for a word, occasionally. He will now and again 
 blunder in a date or a quotation. But are manu- 
 script sermons always infallible ? Does the minis- 
 ter always read them without hesitation ? On the 
 contrary, it has seldom been our fortune to hear a 
 
110 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 written sermon, in which there was not more or less 
 of miscalling the words, or losing the place, or going 
 back to give the sentence as it was written. Any 
 one may convince himself, by attentive observation, 
 that those who confine themselves to their manu- 
 scripts do not alwa3^s read with the freedom and 
 force, which, for example, reconciled Dr. Chalmer's 
 audiences to his " paper," and made him, in Scotch 
 parlance, a " fell reader." 
 
 Something must be granted to human weakness 
 and imperfection, as in every other art ; but, after 
 the training we have described, almost any preacher 
 can so speak that the people will gladly hear. They 
 will pardon any small blemishes. Very likely they 
 will not notice them. If he has learned self-posses- 
 sion, and is not distressed by his mistakes, no one else 
 will care for tliem. Supposing a blunder to have 
 been committed, it is not worth while to stop and 
 correct it, unless it be a mistake of doctrine. A 
 mere verbal mistake, as for instance a mispronuncia- 
 tion, or miscalling a name, or forgetting the number 
 of the nominative case, or some other grammatical 
 mischance, is best suffered to remain in the oblivion 
 into which it will surely fall. To correct it is to 
 arouse attention, which otherwise was either languid 
 and not noticing anything ; or else was so fixed on 
 the thought, as to be comparatively indifferent to 
 minute defects. 
 
 There are, in almost every congregation, a few 
 fastidious hearers, who are nothing if not critical. 
 
FIRST ATTEMPTS. Ill 
 
 Their delicate ears will be offended by any defi- 
 ciency in the finish of the discourse. But it is not 
 worth while to be much afraid of such hearers ; for 
 if they could not criticize the form of the sermon, 
 they would discover some other fault in the minister. 
 Apparently their main object in going to church is 
 to indulge their bad habit of fault-finding. If the 
 preacher is to be diverted from what seems to him 
 tlie right course, by any fear of this class of people, 
 he might better leave the profession at once, for they 
 will destroy both his usefulness and his enjoyment. 
 Not to fear the face of man, to speak not for applause 
 but to do good, to be and to feel responsible to God 
 alone, will enable the preacher to do the best that 
 is in him, serenely indifierent to the petty carpings 
 of hostile criticism. 
 
 One of the inherent difiiculties of this method of 
 preaching, especially at first, is to adjust the time oc- 
 cupied by a discourse to the conventional ideas of the 
 congregation. In most communities there is a certain 
 standard of length, tacitly agreed upon, from which 
 one cannot prudently vary very much. It is half, 
 or three-quarters of an hour, or an hour, as the case 
 may be. If the preacher conclude much before the 
 time, light-minded hearers will infer he liad little to 
 say ; if he protract a few minutes beyond, they will 
 grow impatient. In reading a sermon, one can time 
 it beforehand. A certain number of pages will, on 
 the average, occupy so many minutes. But, in 
 speaking, one is apt to be oblivious of the passage 
 
112 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 of time. If interested, the hour has flown, or ever 
 he was aware. But the audience are aware of it, 
 and it becomes the preacher to be so likewise. The 
 obvious means of knowing the time is by a clock, if 
 there be one ; if not, a watch must be depended on. 
 But it is not a good plan to be seen consulting it. 
 
 The writer was preaching, before his ordination, 
 in a church to which it was convenient to invite his 
 professor of elocution, with the purpose of criticizing 
 the service. The next day, the professor occupied 
 the lesson-hour with a series of kindly observations, 
 which induced a proper condition of humility in 
 the subject of them. They were written down, and 
 have been often consulted since, with profit, it is 
 hoped. Among the criticisms was one upon the 
 point before us. The writer had taken out his watch 
 during the sermon to note the time, and the profes- 
 sor said to himself, " The preacher cannot be much 
 engaged in his argument, or he would not be thinking 
 what time it is." He advised, never to do it again, 
 and the writer never has ; but he lays the watch on 
 the desk, behind a hymn-book, when no clock is to 
 be seen, and, by long habit, can be conscious of the 
 time without any diversion from the current of 
 thought, or any apparent consultation of the time- 
 piece. 
 
 An open watch, to ])e seen constantly, gives a fur- 
 ther advantage, in that it enables one to adjust, in due 
 proportion, the several parts of the sermon. As has 
 been said already, it is sometimes a fault of extem- 
 
FIRST ATTEMPTS. 113 
 
 pore speakers, that they unduly prolong the intro- 
 duction, or early divisions, and leave little time for 
 the applications of the subject. Of a famous 
 preacher it was said, that he hardly ever finished a 
 sermon. The subject, under his treatment, branched 
 out in so many directions, and suggested such a num- 
 ber of brilliant illustrations, that he went on. and 
 on, until an hour or more had gone ; and he was 
 still remote from his intended conclusion. Now an 
 open watch, if consulted occasionally, reminds the 
 prolix speaker that his exordium is devouring his 
 peroration, and helps him to correct this fault. 
 
 Dr. Ware, of Harvard University, published, 
 many years ago, a little book containing useful hints 
 on extemporaneous preaching, and among others, he 
 has some suggestions relative to the best way of 
 commencing : one is, that the preacher should at 
 first practice the exposition of considerable passages 
 of scripture. He will be able to say a little on each 
 verse, and can presume upon having enough matter 
 to fill up the time. This is simply a small advance 
 upon the ordinary methods of Bible-class teaching. 
 
 He quotes also, with approval, the advice of 
 Bishop Burnet, " that the first attempts be made, 
 by short excursions from written discourses ; like 
 the young bird that tries its wings by short flights, 
 till it gradually acquires strength and courage to 
 sustain itself longer in the air." 
 
 These are, no doubt, useful devices, but if much 
 relied upon the preacher will never get beyond them. 
 
114 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 Crutches are useful to a lame man, but unless he can 
 presently do without them he will never be much of 
 a pedestrian. That preacher will do the best and 
 make the most rapid progress who begins as he in- 
 tends to continue by preaching regularly-constructed 
 sermons, thoroughly wrought out and delivered with- 
 out a scrap of paper to serve as a crutch. In such 
 obscure places as we have named there can be no 
 disgrace in a comparative failure, but there is a great 
 opportunity to do good. The preaching is a real, 
 not a factitious exercise, like extemporizing to a sem- 
 inary class. The mode of it is precisely what will 
 be called for by and by in the larger assemblies. 
 This, then, is the place to learn, and to gain the skill 
 that comes of practice. 
 
 But the preacher will never get beyond this, un- 
 less he has the courage, after a while, to essay a 
 bolder flight. He may be con vincing, edifying, elo- 
 quent, in a school-house, and yet be embarrassed in 
 the pulpit, until he has accustomed himself to the 
 more august surroundings. Our advice would be, 
 therefore, not to delay too long the first efforts. A 
 Sunday evening service, largely made up of chorals, 
 and scripture readings, with a space left for " re- 
 marks " by the pastor, affords an excellent starting- 
 place in however large and conservative a church. 
 The step is not long from a speech of twenty minutes 
 in such a service to a sermon of half an hour on an 
 ordinary Sunday evening. 
 
 The thing can be done by any one who chooses to 
 
FIRST ATTEMPTS. 115 
 
 do it and who is willing to take as much pains with 
 his extempore sermons as he ordinarily does with his 
 written ones. If, however, his idea of an extempore 
 discourse is that he may pick out some hap-hazard 
 text, of a Sunday afternoon, and by throwing to- 
 gether a fqw crude ideas, sufficiently prepare him- 
 self for the evening, he will not succeed nor deserve 
 success. 
 
 The Rev. John Foster writes in one of his letters, 
 early in his ministry, that he awoke one Sabbath 
 morning and remembered that he had to preach 
 that day. The thought was unpleasing, because he 
 had not yet begun to form either of his sermons. 
 He sat up in bed and caught some ideas, but did not 
 write a line or a word. After this he went to church 
 and vexed his suffering audience with sermons as ill- 
 prepared as Dr. Johnson's famous leg of mutton. 
 We do not wonder, to read a few pages further on, 
 that his audiences had dwindled to nothing. 
 
 The only way to achieve excellence, in extempor- 
 aneous preaching, is by painstaking effort on every 
 occasion. It is a subtle and difficult art, but it may 
 be learned by all who are willing to accept the nec- 
 essary conditions of all success. 
 
IX. 
 DELIYEEY. 
 
 If we may trust the opinion of the world's most 
 famous orators, the chief qualification of a speaker 
 is in his " action," or delivery.. Certainly, for the 
 effect of a discourse upon the hearer all depends on 
 the mode in which it is delivered. A piano may be 
 good in every respect, but if the player cannot draw 
 forth its potential music it might as well be of in- 
 ferior quality. To prepare, with utmost diligence, a 
 speech or sermon, and then spoil it in the utterance, 
 is a grievous waste of labor. 
 
 Of an extemporaneous sermon, particularly, which 
 lives and dies on the breath of the speaker, it may 
 be said that upon its delivery depends all its effect- 
 iveness. There are few perfect readers , there are 
 still fewer unblemished speakers. Many defects will 
 ordinarily be observable, even in those of great rep- 
 utation and of acknowledged power. They excel, 
 not in consequence of their defects, but in spite of 
 them. They have positive excellences of delivery 
 which more than compensate for all deficiencies. 
 The audience will forgive much to a speaker who is 
 thoroughly in earnest and fully informed upon his 
 
DELIVERY. 117 
 
 subject. If he speak so that they can hear him, and 
 his voice be not unpleasing, they will pardon many 
 blemishes. Yet it is well to avoid what faults we 
 may ; although after every effort we should still be 
 amenable to criticism. 
 
 A very common fault of young speakers is to speak 
 too rapidly. Being full of their subject and some- 
 what excited by standing before an assembly, they 
 do not realize that the minds of the people are work- 
 ing less quickly than their own, and rush ahead at a 
 pace which soon leaves the audience behind. It is 
 difficult to understand a rapid speaker if the room 
 is large. It is tiresome to follow him. There is in 
 his delivery a monotony like the buzzing of swift 
 machinery. Hardly any blemish is greater in 
 speaking. 
 
 It is especially important, at the beginning of a 
 discourse, to be slow and deliberate in our utterance, 
 each word distinct, each period separately marked 
 off from the rest. The express train starts slowly, 
 although it soon attains a speed of sixty miles 
 an hour, otherwise it w^ould jar the passengers. 
 And the minds of men are jarred by too great 
 rapidity in the opening of a speech. They are 
 not yet prepared for the thought. They do not know 
 what it is to be. Still less have they any emotion in 
 regard to it. Therefore, they must be gradually 
 brought to consider and feel the subject by a deli- 
 berate utterance of the opening paragraphs. When 
 passion is aroused and the speaker has secured their 
 
118 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 sympathy in the full tide of his triumphant argu- 
 ment, he may quicken his pace. But even then a 
 high degree of velocity is less impressive than delib- 
 erate utterance. 
 
 The best speakers utter from one hundred and 
 twenty to one hundred and fifty words in a minute, 
 and the less, rather than the greater, number is pre- 
 ferable. As a plain man said of Daniel Webster, 
 ^' He said little, but every word weighed a pound. " 
 The writer heard this great orator at Albany, in his 
 old age and during his tour through New York, 
 speaking in defense of his views of the constitution. 
 The schools were dismissed, that the children 
 might attend. A vast crowd assembled by the park 
 in front of the Congress Hall, and the statesman, 
 enfeebled by age and sickness, came out slowly to 
 address the concourse. The ponderous movement of 
 his arm, as it rose and fell in gesture ; the deep tones, 
 like the slow vibration of a great bell ; the emphatic 
 pauses and deliberate utterance, remain, after thirty 
 years, fixed in the memory of one who was then a 
 mere boy. 
 
 Great deliberateness is characteristic of almost all 
 great speakers. Of William Wirt, one of America's 
 most famoiis orators, we are told by his biographer, 
 ^' He w^as calm, deliberate, and distinct in his enun- 
 ciation. His key was that of earnest, animated 
 argument." It was said of Dr. Nettleton by one of 
 his admirers, " That whisper of his was so distinct, 
 so full of feeling, so potent, that it penetrated every 
 
DELIVERY. 119 
 
 corner of the house, and his distinct pronunciation 
 was one of the great excellences of his preaching." 
 The preacher, then, will, first of all, strive to restrain 
 his impetuosity and speak slowlv, — " Ut tamen delih- 
 erare non haesitare videatur, " yet so as to appear 
 rather to deliberate than to hesitate. 
 
 It is particularly necessary for a speaker to avoid 
 any faltering at the commencement, unless he choose 
 to imitate the artful modesty which Homer says was 
 characteristic of Ulysses, as if he were somewhat 
 diffident and unwilling to speak in the presence of 
 such able men. A slow, thoughtful utterance, as of 
 one who is weighing well his words and gives them 
 forth after full consideration, without trepidation and 
 without confusion, is the best at first. E'or need 
 there be any artificiality or insincerity attributed to 
 this mode of utterance. At the outset of his ser- 
 mon a speaker ought to be in precisely that mental 
 attitude. He is to speak to men on a solemn occa- 
 sion. Issues of life and death are in his hands. An 
 expectant audience is patiently awaiting his opening 
 words, looking for comfort and edification. He does 
 wisely to look well to the steps by wliich he leads 
 them to the consideration of divine truth. By 
 gradual and deliberate approach he brings them to 
 understand and be interested in his subject. This 
 is the process most natural to his mind and to theirs. 
 A natural delivery requires great deliberation at the 
 commencement of a sermon. 
 
 On a proper management of pauses depends a 
 
120 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 large part of the effectiveness of a speaker. We are 
 not now referring to emphatic pauses in the sentence, 
 the consideration of which belongs properly to Elo- 
 cution ; but to those longer pauses which a speaker 
 employs to rest himself or his audience. There 
 should be, for example, a sensible pause at the con- 
 clusion of each principal division, enough to allow a 
 relaxation of the people from a strained position to 
 attend to any little comforts of themselves or the 
 children, and, as it were, to take breath for a new 
 start. The intervals allowed by some able speakers 
 for this purpose are quite noticeable, and whoever has 
 benefited by them will appreciate their convenience. 
 
 As it has seemed to us, the frequent decrees, letters, 
 lists of witnesses, introduced by Demosthenes and 
 ordered to be read by the clerk, were not only for 
 their value as evidence, but were intended to give 
 the speaker an opportunity for resting his voice, and 
 for relief of the assembly, which would otherwise 
 have been wearied with so long an oration. During 
 the formal reading of a well-known decree or vote 
 they could change their position, look around, con- 
 verse a little, go out for refreshments, and then begin 
 afresh to listen, as the orator rose to continue his 
 speech. By this means the long oration became 
 rather a series of short ones, comparatively easy to 
 attend to. 
 
 But whether or not this is a correct explanation, 
 it is a good plan to rest an audience in church by an 
 occasional pause of, it may be, several seconds. The 
 
DELIVERY. 121 
 
 preacher, for example, stops to look np a passage in 
 tlie Bible and turns to it with intentional delibera- 
 tion. Meanwhile tlie people are nnconsciously re- 
 lieved of the effort to attend and are rested. Or, 
 perhaps, he introdnces a quotation from the poets, a 
 passage of some well-known prose writer, or even a 
 newspaper paragraph. It may not be specially im- 
 portant, but if allied to the theme it will not inter- 
 rupt the argument and will serve the purpose of a 
 rest. The people's attention can wander for a mo- 
 ment and return without losing an integral part of 
 the sermon. Any innocent device by which two or 
 three intervals of rest are afforded during the dis- 
 course will add to the satisfaction of those who 
 hear it. 
 
 Loud vociferation is not often called for except at 
 a camp-meeting in the woods. It may be needful 
 and appropriate wliere the audience is scattered over 
 a wide area, the wind soughs through the trees, the 
 uneasy animals distract attention, and people are 
 always moving about. To speak loud under such 
 circumstances is the necessary condition of being 
 heard at all. But in an ordinary church to split the 
 ears of the congregation with explosive tones is 
 entirely unnecessary. A quieter style is more im- 
 pressive. " It is not the thunder that kills, but the 
 lightning." For all ordinary services the quiet, con- 
 versational tones of a gentleman speaking in a par- 
 lor • are sufficient. Occasionally greater force and 
 emphasis are allowable, but if they become habitual 
 
 12 
 
122 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 tliey lose their eiFect. It is the contrast that startles 
 the ear, like the effect of light and shade in a 
 picture. 
 
 There is current an anecdote of Rev. Rowland 
 Hill to the effect that on heing blamed for nsing so 
 much superfluity of voice in the pulpit, he replied 
 that once a man fell into a pit and he lifted up his 
 voice for help and shouted so as to be heard a mile ; 
 no one blamed him then, nor ought they to blame 
 him if by loud outcry he sought to save sinners from 
 hell. Which is very true, if the outcry Avere neces- 
 sary in order to make the sinners hear, or to impress 
 them with the truth ; but it will, on the contrary, 
 diminish the impression, if frequently indulged in. 
 There may be, however, circumstances of excite- 
 ment or grave crises of public affairs, where a loud 
 tone is the natural expression of the prevalent emo- 
 tion. Thus the English embassador said admiringly 
 of J ohn Knox, after one of his vehement addresses, 
 " It put more life into him than six hundred trum- 
 pets." But usually something less than six hundred 
 trumpets will be voice enough. 
 
 Nor are we inclined to favor that style of delivery 
 which is marked by running all around the pulpit, 
 and indulging in a variety of excited gesticulations. 
 We are aware that great names can be adduced in 
 support of this practice, notably that of Rufus 
 Choate, who gestured with head, hands, and feet, and 
 all parts between. Not such are the movements of 
 a well-bred, cultivated gentleman. He may l)e in 
 
DEJ.IVERY. 123 
 
 earnest, but he is quiet ; and the more earnest lie is 
 tlie more significantly quiet he will be. Low tones, 
 measured utterance, few words, mark the deepest 
 passion among the better grades of society. 
 
 Some speakers employ a sustained tone, pitched 
 on a high key, like a rude sort of chanting. 
 Possibly, indeed, chanting originated in the long- 
 drawn recitative of prayers and passages of Scrip- 
 ture. Among some sects it seems to be the essential 
 sign of an orthodox and edifying discourse ; just as 
 the soldiers of Cromwell proved their orthodoxy by 
 their nasal pronunciation. This is nearly intolerable 
 to cultivated ears. A variety in the tones and natu- 
 ralness of inflection are to be sought by one who 
 would please as well as instruct the hearer. 
 
 It would seem to be superfluous to inculcate the 
 precept, that all levity is to be avoided in the pulpit, 
 were we not so often made painfully aware that the 
 precept is necessary. A judge upon the bench, in 
 a case of life and death, allows no levity in court. 
 The business is a serious one, and must be seriously 
 administered. A preacher derogates from his own 
 influence, and lowers the dignity of his ofiice, very 
 much in proportion to the amount of humor which 
 he allows to creep into his style. 'Nor is a reputation 
 for wit, outside the pulpit, a desirable one in a minis- 
 ter. It is said that the late Senator Morton, of In- 
 diana, was extremely witty in his youth. He made 
 one speech, at the beginning of his public life, which 
 proved that he had extraordinary command of the 
 
124 KXTKMPOKE PREACHING. 
 
 risibilities of an audience. But afterwards lie refused 
 to indulge this faculty ; for he said, the people do 
 not choose for grave aifairsaman who amuses them, 
 but one whom they respect for a serious and weighty 
 character. 
 
 Equally to be condemned, with levity of speech, 
 is levity of demeanor. All hand-shaking in the pul- 
 pit, or jovial welcome of brother ministers, seems to 
 us a breach of decorum. They have come, not for 
 a display of good-fellowship, but to lead the people 
 in the ^vorship of God, and their conduct should be, 
 in all respects, consistent with that design. To 
 beckon to the janitor, or select passages in the Bible, 
 or turn over the notes of a sermon, during the sing- 
 ing of hymns and anthems, although often done by 
 the most pious ministers, is really an impropriety. 
 Suppose a deacon should do the same, while the 
 minister is praying ! If the singing means anything, 
 it is a service of praise to God, in which the pastor 
 should join, as well as the rest. The selection of 
 chapters and arrangement of notes are better at- 
 tended to before the service begins. We confess, 
 also, that we do not like to see the pulpit turned into 
 a place for adjusting the dress, by removing overcoat, 
 gloves and rubbers, disposing hat and umbrella, set- 
 tling the cravat, and the like. It savors of simpli- 
 city and unconventionality, to be sure ; but it is that 
 of the backwoods. What gentleman would do such 
 things in a drawing-room ? And why should a pul- 
 pit be inferior, in its claim upon the small pro- 
 prieties of life ? 
 
DELIVERY. 125 
 
 But it is time to note the positive qualities that 
 make up tlie excellence of delivery, that all our at- 
 tention may not be taken up witli noting defects. 
 One shonld, ahove all, strive to be, and to appear, 
 thoroughly in earnest. This is the most essential 
 feature of a good delivery, l^o other excellencies 
 can compensate for its absence. Its presence will 
 outweigh many defects. 
 
 The anecdote of Betterton, the player, is worth re- 
 calling in this connection. When asked, by a prel- 
 ate of the English church, " how it came to pass 
 that the clergy, who spoke of things real, affected 
 the people so little, and the players, who spoke of 
 things barely imaginary, affected them so much ? he 
 said, ' My lord, I can assign but one reason : we play- 
 ers speak of things imaginary as though they were 
 real, and too many of the clergy speak of things 
 real as though they were imaginary.' " 
 
 'No one desires the preacher to become an actor, 
 in scriptural phrase, a '' hypocrite " ; but if he does 
 not profoundly feel the truths he is uttering, he 
 would better not speak at all ; if he does feel them, 
 his 'tones, gestures, features, with proper limitation, 
 should testify to the depth of his emotion. If he 
 is aroused at all during the week, let it be in the 
 hour when he is speaking the great truths of the 
 gospel, and immortal destinies are hanging on his 
 words. A listless, perfunctory manner, or languid 
 voice, is an insult to a grave assembly, which 
 has, presumably, gathered for matters of concern. 
 
 12* 
 
126 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 It would not be tolerated anywhere but in the pul- 
 pit ; it should not need to be tolerated there. If the 
 speaker is really anxious to do good it will not. His 
 longing to benefit men will throw ardor into his voice, 
 pathos into his tones, alertness into every movement. 
 A sympathetic voice, penetrative to the heart, and 
 seeming to sway it by unconscious power, is a charm- 
 ing quality of some speakers. It would seem to be 
 a natural gift. There do not appear to be any rules 
 for its successful cultivation, save in the development 
 of an affectionate interest in the congregation, indi- 
 vidually. It is the quality called " Unction " in the 
 schools, a tender interest in the hearer, and desire for 
 his improvement, manifested in the very tones in 
 which he is addressed. Unction is the expression of 
 sym.pathetic emotion. Some men are more easily 
 aroused and more expressive of feeling than others ; 
 but all can cultivate those qualities of heart, which 
 create a sympathy between pastor and people. If 
 the minister prays much for families under his 
 charge, mentioning them by name at the throne of 
 grace ; if he studies their peculiarities with a view 
 to using arguments and motives that shall bear on 
 their conversion ; if, as he looks over the congrega- 
 tion, he sees one or another, who is near the King- 
 dom and may possibly be brought in that day, there 
 is apt to be something of this personal interest 
 manifest in voice and manner. The magnetic cur- 
 rents of a community of feeling flow through 
 preacher and people. They regard him a friend and 
 
DELIVERY. 127 
 
 helper, who is interceding for them with heaven, 
 and longs to save them from peril. 
 
 Such feeling may be counterfeited, but the counter- 
 feit will presently be detected, and then the speaker 
 will have no more influence with that congregation. 
 To be effective he must be animated by a genuine, 
 not a simulated, emotion. If he wishes them to 
 weep, he must weep himself. The tones of pretended 
 pathos do not w^arm, any more than a painted fire. 
 But the voice of real passion asserts itself, and strikes 
 a responsive chord in the heart of the dullest hearer. 
 
 Still,it is tobe doubted whether a minister should 
 seek to be wrought up into this rather ecstatic condi- 
 tion, every Sunday. A tearful interest in souls is 
 always, theoretically, the proper sentiment of a 
 preacher; but, practically, it is not likely to be al- 
 ways his actual feeling. ITe may, it is true, strive 
 to aw^aken his dormant emotions ; but even if that 
 were possible, it is not desirable, for the best eifect 
 on the audience, to have all Sabbaths alike in tlieir 
 impression. There are, in the Scriptures, texts of 
 cheer and hope, the trumpet-call to battle and vic- 
 tory. There are themes pertaining to the manly 
 duties of a Christian in the* world, demanding a 
 calm, judicial manner, and tones free from passion. 
 Sometimes, the grave consequences of sin will clothe 
 the pulpit in the terrors of the law, and seem to re- 
 echo the thunders of Sinai. If the preacher attempts 
 to be pathetic on every occasion, he throws away 
 the opportunity of different and equally important 
 
128 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 impressions ; and, besides, gives his services a monot- 
 ony, which is always to be avoided. Rather let the 
 emotion felt, and which appears in the delivery, 
 be such as most naturally arises from the subject, 
 whether of courage, confidence, consolation, appre- 
 liension, or practical resolve. 
 
 It is one of the advantages of extemporaneous 
 preaching, that the speaker can look continuously 
 at his audience. He is not under the necessity of 
 bending the eyes upon his notes every moment. 
 There is power in the eye, no less than in the voice, 
 to convey all varieties of emotion — indignation, sur- 
 prise, determination, appeal. How important an 
 item of the general impression this is, is evident from 
 the fact that all tlie people instinctively try to look 
 at the preacher. If there are pillars in the sanctu- 
 ary, those who sit behind them are uneasy until they 
 can change their position, although they may hear 
 perfectly well; for they know they shall better 
 understand, if they can see the eyes and face of the 
 minister. If the latter remembers this fact, he will 
 refrain, perhaps, from gazing steadfastly at a remote 
 corner, as some do ; and avoid looking all the time 
 to the right or the left, as others. He will at least 
 endeavor to look around upon the congregation in a 
 natural way, so that each one may imagine that his 
 pastor's eye is upon him, and that a part of the ser- 
 mon may be meant for him individually. 
 
 To preach with the eyes shut, as a great French 
 preacher is said to have done, belongs to the artifi- 
 
DELIVERY. 129 
 
 ciality of a nieiiiorized discourse, rather than to the 
 iiaturahiess of extempore speech. We do not sup- 
 pose any ministers at the present day would go so 
 far as to shut their eyes ; but the introversion of the 
 mind in striving to recall a half-remembered plan, 
 gives them such an appearance of not seeing any- 
 thing, that their eyes might as well be shut. A per- 
 fect familiarity with the scheme of the sermon, so 
 that no effort is needed to recall it, frees all the 
 faculties for immediate action, gives opportunity to 
 look at the audience, adds animation to the feature, 
 and renders the whole discourse more free and effec- 
 tive. 
 
 After the service is ended, the preacher will be 
 wise if he seeks, by rest and solitude, to restore his 
 nerves to their normal condition. He should recol- 
 lect that mind and body have been under intense 
 exertion for two hours or more. The blood swells 
 the veins of head and throat, feet and hands are 
 cold, all parts of the body are languid from weariness. 
 The more the minister has put of his life into his 
 preaching, the more exhausted he will be. If " fresh 
 as a lark," probably the people will not be quite so 
 fresh. 'Now, in this condition of nervous exhaus- 
 tion, to expose the lungs to the air, is to endanger 
 taking cold ; to sing, is to rasp the throat with an 
 altogether needless labor and roughen the voice for 
 the evening service. Especially, let him beware of 
 the siren voice of the Sunday-school superintendent, 
 who has a class of ladies, that are anxious to have 
 
130 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 their clear jDastor for a teaclier. H e will niidoubtedly 
 yield to sucli a seductive invitation, bnt will do so 
 at his cost. We do not remember any pastor teach- 
 ing, without breaking down in a few months ; that 
 is, if he had any merit as a preacher. There are men 
 of iron, or of wood, who can conduct morning ser- 
 vice, Bible-class, afternoon mission, evening service, 
 and still be ready for a minister's meeting on jVIon- 
 day. They can do so much, because, so to speak, 
 they do so little. They put no exhaustive labor 
 npon the sermon, and tlierefore can teach afterwards, 
 as well as not. 
 
 The principal men of a cliurcli ought to be made 
 to understand that true preaching is a source of great 
 weariness, for the time, and thej will generally pre- 
 fer that the minister should not waste on a few 
 scholars the energy that properly belongs to the 
 whole congregation. 
 
 The preacher will be thankful for a few words of 
 kindly appreciation from any who have been bene- 
 fited by the sermon ; but let him be very careful not 
 to seek for compliments. It is a weakness resulting 
 from vanity, to turn, what was supposed to be for 
 edification, into an occasion of self-laudation. It 
 destroys the efiect of the preaching wherever seen 
 or suspected. It renders the preacher wretchedly 
 uncomfortable, for the praise will seldom equal his 
 desires. If he has sincerely done his best, he may 
 with confidence leave the result with God. If he 
 has done less than his best, there is place for repent- 
 ance, in doing better next time. 
 
X. 
 
 PHYSICAL CONDITIONS. 
 
 Although, at first thought, it might be supposed 
 that one earnestly engaged in his work could rise 
 superior to all considerations of merely physical and 
 material matters, yet the fact is far otherwise. 
 Our nature is two-fold : while by the spirit related 
 to the skies, our bodies hold us down to earth. The 
 soul is absolutely dependent on the body for its 
 means of communication Avitli the outer world, and 
 whatever affects the condition of the corporeal frame 
 helps or hinders the free communication of feeling 
 and thought. Even an apostle was hindered by his 
 thorn in the flesh, though divine grace enabled him 
 to endure it. And there are many thorns ready to 
 pierce the flesh of the extemporaneous preacher, 
 and detract from the efliciency of his most careful 
 preparations. 
 
 In the first place, it is no mean advantage to have 
 the room in which the services are held in perfect 
 condition for the comfort of the congregation. If 
 the church be smoky, or cold, or replete with fur- 
 nace gas ; if the windows are dim by day and the 
 lamps are dull at night ; if ventilation is neglected, 
 so that -five hundred people are in a semi- asphyxiated 
 
132 EXTEMPORE TREACHING. 
 
 condition from lack of ox^^gen ; if many are going 
 out, or the cliildren are gathering noisily in the 
 porch for the Sunday-school ; if the pulpit is an 
 eyrie perched on high, from which the minister 
 peers out as an eagle from his nest ; if there be a 
 large church and a small congregation ; if the choir 
 is tittering and whispering in consultation over the 
 concluding anthem ; if the day is intensely hot, so 
 that the only animation is in the languid movement 
 of fans ; or if the thunder is reverberating in the 
 heavens and creating apprehension of a wetting 
 before the congregation can reach home : vain are 
 the efforts of the most eloquent orator. These are 
 physical conditions which mar success, and to cor- 
 rect them, when possible, is of first importance. 
 
 What preacher has not felt his heart sink within 
 him when, after a week of laborious preparation, he 
 came to the chnrcli on Sunday morning and found 
 that the fires had been neglected, or the room, for 
 any reason, uncomfortable ? He bids farewell to all 
 hopes of moving or molding his audience for that 
 day. Indeed he knows if the unfavorable conditions 
 are repeated many times he will presently be speak- 
 ing to empty benches ; for, excepting the old guard, 
 which comes in any event, the people loving their 
 ease will stay at home for the balance of the season. 
 We have known, in a western city, a few cold Sun- 
 days, at the beginning, diminish an audience for the 
 entire winter. 
 
 Accordingly, if the pastor is a practical man, he 
 
PHYSICAl. CONDITIONS. 13^ 
 
 will, in some way, see to it that the church is in a 
 proper condition for the comfort of the people. He 
 will recognize the im])ortance of heat and ventila- 
 tion in their relation to the gospel, nor fondly imag- 
 ine that his people are superior to atmospheric influ- 
 ences. In these days of stained glass and somber 
 interiors it is difficult to get a cheerful light, and yet 
 it is almost impossible to preach successfully in the 
 gloom. People, in spite of aesthetic canons, love a 
 bright room, and hate a dark one, without knowing 
 why. It is impossible to have an exhilarated audi- 
 ence in a somber apartment. The managers of the 
 theatre understand this, and however old or shabby 
 the building may be, tliey see that it is abundantly 
 lighted. A minister cannot always control the 
 lighting of his church, but if he appreciates its 
 importance, he may educate the trustees to his ideas, 
 after a while. 
 
 To preach in an ancient country school-house, 
 beginning " at early candle-light," where the candle 
 is a taper of tallow and dimly casts a feeble glimmer 
 among the benches, is such a trial as can be sur- 
 mounted only by the highest devotion. And to 
 have a good prayer-meeting in such a room is an 
 almost impossible triumph of faith. 
 
 It is a hard matter to preach with satisfaction on 
 a rainy day. The church is gloomy on account of 
 tlie storm. The audience is thin and unresponsive. 
 The minister dislikes to waste an elaborate prepara- 
 tion upon so few, and increases the dullness of the 
 
 13 
 
134 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 occasion bj tlie indifferent repetition of an old ser- 
 mon. This is a decided mistake. Such an audience 
 deserves the best sermon tlie preacher can give. 
 They ought to be repaid for coming out through the 
 rain, that they may be encouraged to come again 
 and bring others with them. At the same time, 
 they will need a different kind of discourse from the 
 ordinary fair-day audience. It should be more 
 weighty in thought, more packed with argument, 
 less illustrated and ornamented, more practical 
 an d^ warm with fervid appeals that may overcome 
 the chilliness of the day. Such changes in a 
 sermon are easily made ])y any one practiced in 
 extemporization . 
 
 It has, of late years, become the genial custom 
 of many churches to adorn the pulpit with flowers. 
 These give a homelike appearance, and add bright- 
 ness to the sanctuary. But the fashion is easily 
 overdone. A few roses carelessly put in a pretty 
 vase are a modest and proper ornament. A pulpit 
 embowered in potted plants, trailing vines, elaborate 
 bouquets of hot-house flowers, and made-pieces, 
 crosses, harps, and the like, looks like a florist's 
 window. If the preacher speaks from a bower of 
 camellias it is hard to take his words seriousl}^ It 
 seems as if he must be a part of the show. More- 
 over, a very reprehensible spirit of rivalry is some- 
 times awakened by such displays, among ladies of 
 different churches, to see which can outdo the other. 
 The Christmas or Easter decorations become a 
 
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS. 135 
 
 measure of their purses, rather than of their devo- 
 tion, and a mere attraction to an idle crowd. 
 
 No minister, who is a lover of mnsic, can fail to 
 be affected by the anthems rendered by the choir, 
 and by the mode in which the hymns are snng. 
 Good and appropriate music lifts both pastor and 
 people into an atmosphere of devotion and spiritual 
 sensibility very favorable to reception of gospel truth. 
 If the leader has good judginent in the selection of 
 opening pieces, and is willing to listen to suggestions 
 respecting the tunes set to the hymns, let the minis- 
 ter cherish him with thankfulness. But, unfortu- 
 nately, such choir-leaders are not always to be 
 found. 
 
 The circumstances which afi'ect the physical con- 
 dition of the speaker, are 65qually important witli 
 those relating to the comfort of the congregation. 
 In order to preach with ease and effectiveness he 
 needs to be, as nearly as possible, in perfect health. 
 There are instances, to be sure, of clergymen who 
 have preached with almost superhuman eloquence, 
 while agonized with nervous pain ; but it was done 
 at a ruinous expense of the vital energy, and they 
 were soon disabled, or in their graves. To preach 
 through a long life, and to preach with a maximum 
 of power, is only possiljle to one who enjoys vigor- 
 ous health. The great preachers have been, for the 
 most part, robust men, capable of any exertion, and 
 able to endure any fatigue. Good health is an 
 almost indispensable coudition of success in the min- 
 
136 KXTKMPOHE PREACHING. 
 
 isti'j : the preservation of it, tlierefore, is a sacred 
 diitj. All measures of exercise, sleep, diet, that 
 conduce to health, are moral obligations upon a 
 minister ; if he Avould present, not only his spirit, 
 but his body, an acceptable offering to the Lord. 
 
 The speaker should beware of entering the pulpit 
 weary and overworked. Of course, it is not always 
 possible to avoid this, but such should be his 
 endeavor. To this end, very little work ought to be 
 done, after noon of Saturday. The preparations 
 should all be brought within the previous days. To 
 work late on Saturday evening, or to rise with fever- 
 ish haste on Sunday morning and complete the ser- 
 mon, may be possible for one who reads, but will 
 ruin the effectiveness of an extempore preacher. In 
 one of his most useful papers, entitled " The mind's 
 maximum," Rev. E. E, Hale shows that only a given 
 amount of the best work can be obtained from the 
 mind in any one day. From two to four hours of 
 original composition are the most that can be 
 expected from the most fertile brain. If it tries to 
 do more, the product is inferior, and the brain is 
 prematurely exhausted. We believe Sir Walter 
 Scott expressed the same opinion. This is a useful 
 hint for those who are disposed to defer their prepa- 
 ration till Sunday morning. There are, if they have 
 two services, three or four hours before them of 
 severe labor, when they will need all their energy 
 in its most concentrated form. To exhaust it, pre- 
 viously, by hard work in the study, is as unwise as 
 
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS. 137 
 
 it would be to work a race-horse for some hours be- 
 fore he enters the lists. 
 
 In order to the perfect self-mastery which is 
 requisite for success in speaking, it is desirable to 
 secure, if possible, a quiet hour, before entering the 
 pul]3it. If there is a comfortable study at the 
 cliurch, and the preacher can be free from interrup- 
 tion, this is the best place for linal preparation ; for 
 it can be continued till the organ sounds the vol- 
 untary, and no long ^valk or greeting of friends will 
 divert his thoughts, between the study and the pul- 
 pit. But if no room be available at the church, his 
 study at home must be made to answer, as well as it 
 can, the same purpose. No severe effort is contem- 
 plated in this final hour, but merely a meditative 
 review of the plan of the sermon, and, as it were, a 
 gathering up of all the faculties for the coming occa- 
 sion. Then, with whatever trepidation, he may 
 enter the sacred desk, conscious that he has at least 
 done his best to deserve success. 
 
 However, with all the precautions that ingenuity 
 can suggest, or prudence take, there will often be 
 dull days in whicli the mind will not work. There 
 may be some languid condition of the atmosphere, 
 or-a morbid state of the nerves, rendering it impos- 
 sible to accomplish any satisfactory results. Even 
 the reading of the Bible becomes a difficult task at 
 these times; the reader miscalls the words of the 
 familiar chapter, and loses his place in the periods. 
 It is a burden to lead the devotions of the people in 
 
 13* 
 
138 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 prayer, — the halting tongue refusing to utter the 
 customar}^ petitions. Nothing goes aright, because 
 the preacher himself, in his physical system, is 
 wrong. On such a day, our counsel is to make no 
 attempt at extempore preaching if possible to avoid 
 it. There is no probability of success. The harp 
 is out of tunc, and must be retuned before it will 
 render harmonious music. No need, however, to be 
 discouraged on this account. Such days of languor 
 come to all men, in all professions. In this condi- 
 tion he must have recourse to a manuscript; and 
 even then he will probably go home disgusted, and 
 consult his wife on the propriety of retiring to a 
 farm. 
 
 If the state of his i^rivy purse will allow him to 
 run off for a week, a short journey is the best cor- 
 rective of this nervous condition. New sights, new 
 faces, the excitement of travel, will restore his sys- 
 tem to its wonted equilibrium. Or, if he be a lover 
 of nature, he may take a tent, with rod and gun, and 
 hie to the woods. There, on the border of a lake, 
 catching and cleaning the fish, or shooting the 
 plump ducks which shall furnish his dinner, his 
 vexations will pass away like the mist of the morn- 
 ing, and he will come back to his parish with a new 
 heart for the work. 
 
 A great temperance in diet is advisable before 
 speaking. Only so much food is needed as can be 
 easily digested before the time of service. A hearty 
 meal, which leaves a sense of repletion, dulls the 
 
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS, 139 
 
 faculties, aiul renders difficult the exceptional men- 
 tal activity required of the speaker. In this parti- 
 cular each man must be his own judge, but it will 
 be found that the less there is eaten on Sunday the 
 better the sermons will be. If he can secure an in- 
 terval of absolute rest between the services, a great 
 point is gained. In some parts of the country the 
 two sermons come so near together as to allow of no 
 real repose. But this is one of the old-fashioned 
 burdens, which the people are learning to throw off. 
 If there are two services, it is far better to have 
 them morning and evening, allowing thus a time of 
 recuperation, both to pastor and people. 
 
 Few pious customs were more irrational than the 
 habit, prevalent in some quarters a half century ago, 
 of three sermons on a Sunday. The people went to 
 sleep under them, and no marvel. How could any- 
 1)ody's spiritual digestion endure three solid sermons 
 in one day 'i 
 
 We do not, however, so much applaud the grow- 
 ing habit of a single service on Sunday. While one 
 able sermon is enough for one hearer, yet there are 
 always many who cannot be present in the morn- 
 ing, and some who, being tired with the week's 
 work, will not. For these an evening service is 
 desirable. To give up the evening to a young 
 people's meeting, or prayer-meeting of the elders, 
 or to close the church altogether, unless there are 
 other churches near, is to leave, in the cities, the 
 open door for theaters and concerts. Some place of 
 
140 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 gatliering, some mode of spending tlie evening, the 
 yonng people will have. A bright, attractive service 
 in church, with a plenty of good singing, and a 
 short, pithy extemporaneous sermon, will not indeed 
 deplete tlie tlieatre, but will be a formidable rival 
 to it. 
 
 Nor should any minister in good health demur at 
 the amount of work involved in two services. Tlie 
 talk about the unendurable labor involved in '' two 
 sermons a week '' is nonsensical. Any lawyer in 
 good practice does as much speaking ; any journalist 
 does as much writing, as is now ordinarily required 
 of clergymen. It is the innumerable calls of an 
 inferior importance which fritter away his time and 
 wear him down. Let him exercise a wise economy 
 in the matter of conventions, ministerial gatherings, 
 reform meetings, sociables, and tea-parties, and he 
 will have left abundant energy and time to prepare 
 one written and one unwritten sermon a week. 
 Besides, there are many alleviations, from exchanges, 
 from special union services and Sabl)ath-school con- 
 certs, from the advent of distinguished brethren who 
 must be invited to preach, from the perennial agents 
 of the benevolent societies. There is also a relief to 
 the throat, brain, and entire system, in alternating 
 the two styles of preaching. The strain of a writ- 
 ten sermon is altogether different from that of an 
 extempore one. To pass from one to the other is 
 less of a burden than a pleasure. 
 
 There is also, in the different modes of preparation 
 
PHYSECAL CONDITIONS. 141 
 
 required by the two styles of sermonizing, a sensi- 
 ble relief from that inertness of mind which is so 
 often the bane of literary composition. There are 
 not many hours in a week in which the brain is in 
 exactly the condition to evolve the finished thought 
 needed for a written sermon. There may, possibly, be 
 enough for one : there will hardly be sufficient for 
 two. But lierein is the advantage of another style 
 of composition. The whole mental attitude, the 
 entire method of production, are different in the 
 extempore sermon. There is no need to finish any- 
 thing as yet. The mind may be in a discursive, 
 apprehensive state. It can ramble at will over the 
 realms of thought. The brain is rested by being 
 out of harness for a time, and can browse like 
 a horse out at pasture. The extempore sermon can 
 be prepared during a ramble on the country roads, 
 or in a long drive over the hills, or swinging idly in 
 a hammock, or dreaming between the paragraphs of 
 a favorite book. The thought grows and accumu- 
 lates, half unconsciously, until in some clear and 
 crystalline hour it suddenly assumes the proportions 
 of a discourse. Difference of occupation rests the 
 brain, and the two sermons demand but a little 
 more effort than one would have done. 
 
 In the felicities of domestic life, we have noticed 
 that the anxious mother of a single child often 
 wastes as much solicitude over her one darling as 
 another bestows on a family of six ; and we have 
 been reminded of this in seeing how much agonized 
 
142 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 reconsideration can be given to a single sermon, by 
 a minister who preaches only once on Sunday, as 
 compared to the cheerful activity of one who has 
 two services on the Sabbath, and several additional 
 ones during the week. There is a point, beyond 
 which the refinement of a discourse is rather an in- 
 jury to it than otherwise. On the average, each of 
 the two sermons will be better ones, so far as the 
 true purpose of a sermon is concerned, than if 
 the entire week had been spent upon either of them 
 separately. This may seem paradoxical, but it will 
 be 23roved by experiment. 
 
 In order to secure the full benefit of variety in 
 sermons, there should be a difference in other re- 
 spects also. To change from the written to the ex- 
 tempore style is a very great relief, and it is equally 
 a relief to alter the entire scope and purpose of the 
 evening sermon. If the morning discourse was a 
 spiritual meditation, let the evening be some theme 
 of practical morality. If the mind of preacher and 
 people has been exercised upon a profound doctrine, 
 there may well be, at the second service, a descrip- 
 tive sermon of some Old Testament narrative, with 
 appropriate lessons. A total change of subject, 
 treatment, and manner rests the audience and the 
 speaker. A successful clergyman expressed the 
 opinion, some years ago, that there was too much 
 preaching ; one sermon a day was enough, he said. 
 But when he came to explain his meaning, it appear- 
 ed that by "sermon " he meant a spiritual medita- 
 
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS. 143 
 
 tion calculated to affect the feelings profoundly, and 
 that he thought the evening should be devoted to 
 discussion of practical subjects of duty and morality. 
 He acted upon that method himself, and his even- 
 ing services were always crowded, although the 
 " lecture," as he called it, might be an hour long. 
 
 It conduces greatly to the minister's comfort, and 
 to his ability to endure a large amount of work, if 
 he has learned how properly to manage his voice. 
 The number who become disabled, by what is known 
 as " the minister's sore throat," is much greater than 
 it should be. This appears to be induced partly by 
 a monotonous manner of speaking, and partly by 
 defective acoustic properties of the churches. Those 
 who read sermons are very apt to fall into a regular 
 rhythmic cadence, the voice ascending and descend- 
 ing through a limited range of notes, from exordium 
 to peroration. This wearies the audience, and w^ears 
 on the throat of the clergyman, until it becomes so 
 inflamed, that a very little additional exposure brings 
 on an attack of bronchitis. To cliange from the 
 wTitten to the extempore style will partiallj^ remedy 
 this difficulty, by bringing a different set of muscles 
 into play. Speaking is different from reading, in 
 many ways. The head is more erect, the chest ex- 
 panded, the whole action of the body more vigor- 
 ous, emotion and voice more varied. 
 
 But extempore speakers often fall into a mono- 
 tone, or still worse, a sing-song manner. The former 
 would seem to arise from a lack of interest in what 
 
144 EXTKMPOliE rUEACIIING. 
 
 tlie}^ are saying. At least, it is difficult to see liow the 
 voice can be monotonous, if the breast is surcharged 
 wit] I a variety of emotions, such as would be appro- 
 priate to the different parts of a sermon. If so, the 
 remedy would be to utter no word which the speaker 
 does not feel. Hardly any one speaks monotonously 
 in private conversation. He is animated, interested, 
 and his tones are varied, as a matter of course. To 
 cure a sing-song delivery is niore difficult, because, 
 in its earlier stages as a habit, it seems to result 
 from diffidence and undue excitement. It is for this 
 reason very characteristic of women who exhort in 
 public. A minister can rid himself of a sing-song 
 liabit, if he w^ll begin before it is inveterate, by ask- 
 ing his friends to tell him when they observe it, and 
 by having often in mind the iiecessity of being on 
 his guard, in order to secure natural cadences. It 
 is -worth one's while to be particular, for such a tone 
 ruins any sermon, and ultimately takes away every 
 pleasing quality from the voice. 
 
 It is more difficult to overcome those embarrass- 
 ments of the voice which are occasioned by defec- 
 tive acoustic qualities in the audience-room of the 
 church. In a very large number of churches, it is 
 impossible to speak naturally, because it is so hard 
 to be heard at all. The preacher has to adopt a 
 hard, metallic tone, to penetrate the alcoves, recesses, 
 and rafters ; or to overcome the echo. The old- 
 fashioned, nearly square churches, with fiat roof and 
 a gallery running around three sides, seem to be the 
 
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS. 145 
 
 easiest for speaking, however large they may be. 
 The modern gothic, especially if the nave is long, 
 and the ceiling remote, are the worst. In such a 
 church the ablest speaker may well despair.* Some- 
 thing may be done, by stretcliing a number of fine 
 wires across the spaces where the echoes are, or by 
 banners hung through the room, as in one church 
 we could name. It will be better still, if the trustees 
 will allow the pulpit to be moved. Sometimes ad- 
 vancing it ten feet towards the audience, at the 
 sacrifice of a few pews, or bringing it to one side 
 against a pillar, will partially remedy the confusion 
 of sounds, that otherwise converts the church into 
 a miniature cave of ^olus. A still better remedy 
 would be for clergymen to refuse to preach in such 
 churches, on any condition. But this is somewhat 
 too heroic to be generally adopted. 
 
 Perhaps it will occasion surprise, if we include 
 obedience to the Fourth Commandment as among 
 the essential physical conditions of success in the 
 ministry. But we are sorry to say we have seen 
 the spirit of it violated, with unfortunate effects, by 
 many ministers. The precept requires abstinence 
 from work, one day in seven. Now as a minister 
 works, and works hard, of necessity on the Sabbath, 
 it is evident that he must rest on another day, or he 
 breaks the commandment, essentially. Monday is 
 usually the day of rest for a minister. If he keeps 
 it, with religious scruples, abstaining from all of his 
 ordinary avocations, it shall be well with him, and 
 
146 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 his days sliall be long in the land. But how often 
 there is a minister's meeting, devoted to a report of 
 the sermons, or a discussion of theological topics ; 
 how malij set apart the forenoon to their arrears of 
 correspondence, and the afternoon to parish calls !' 
 Possibly, a daily prayer-meeting may claim their 
 leadership at noon, and a special service be appointed 
 for the evening. Now all this seems to us a direct 
 violation of the principle of the Fourth Command- 
 ment. It is morally blameless, because the motive 
 is the service of God. But it will be physically 
 punished, for the laws of God are not violated witli 
 impunity, even from the best of motives. Lassitude 
 is sure to follow. In a few weeks there will be a 
 lack of energy. Many days will be wasted in a fret- 
 ful inaction ; perhaps, sickness may ensue ; and all 
 because the minister forgot that he needed a Sabbath 
 of rest as well as the people. 
 
XI. 
 
 SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS. 
 
 Although we have said, thus far, little con- 
 cerning the spiritual aspects and conditions ot 
 extemporaneous preaching ; it is not because we con- 
 sidered them of small importance, but because we 
 preferred to treat each topic independently in its 
 proper order. In all preaching, whether from notes 
 or extempore, as the object to be secured is a spirit- 
 ual one, the conversion and edification of the peo- 
 ple, it is evident that the moral and spiritual condi- 
 tion of the preacher is of unspeakable importance. 
 It is the impartation of spiritual life. How can he 
 impart what he does not possess ? It is to lead men 
 to Christ. How lead men where he does not go 
 himself? It is to prepare them for '' fellowship with 
 the Father, Son and Holy Ghost," which fellowship 
 lie must experience before he can share it with 
 others. 
 
 The first and most imperative duty of a minister 
 is to keep clear the fountain of his own piety. It 
 has been well said, by some one, that the vital prin- 
 ciple of preaching is condensed by St. Jude into a 
 few lines ; " But ye, beloved, building up yourselves, 
 on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 
 
148 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 keep yourselves in the love of God." The power 
 of a preacher lies in the power of godliness, or what 
 is the same thing, the power 'of faith. The ancient 
 rhetoricians insisted, first of all, that the orator mnst 
 be a good man, for virtue is the secret of power in 
 the speaker. Much more is this true of the Chris- 
 tian ministr}^, wliich has absolutely no excuse for 
 being, except it can lead men to holiness and to 
 God. As we have said, this is needful for all preach- 
 ers, but it is most especially needful for an extem- 
 poraneous preacher, who must rely for his words, and 
 the best portion of his thoughts, upon the immediate 
 presence and assistance of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 The fundamental, spiritual condition, then, of this 
 method of preaching, is faith. It is not only true 
 of the Christian life, that " the just shall live by 
 his faith," but it is true also that according to tlie 
 preacher's faith will be his power and success. The 
 man has evidently been with God ; he has received 
 an unction from the Holy One ; he has drawn nigh 
 to the mount in earnest prayer ; all his fortune, rep- 
 utation, influence, are cast upon the divine mercy, 
 and rely upon the divine help. What, after this, 
 does he fear in the face of mortal man ! He enters 
 the pulpit in an exalted frame. He is not caring for 
 himself. His appearance, intellectual ability, what 
 people will think of him, are of no further conse- 
 quence. He is there, an ambassador from God. He 
 has a message to deliver, and woe be him, if it is 
 not faithfully delivered. Like Samuel in the night, 
 
SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS. 149 
 
 he lias heard the divine voice, and the words given 
 him must be spoken, without fear or hesitation. 
 
 This is the old, prophetic tire, rekindled in the 
 Christian pnlpit, and proving that the modern 
 " schools of the prophets " are not altogether mis- 
 named. It is the prophetic office revived and regu- 
 lated to meet the needs of the Christian chnrch. A 
 man of a burning, zealous faith, will inevitably con- 
 vey something of his own warmth to his hearers. 
 They will no longer stop to criticise his tones or 
 style ; they are rapt into a higher atmosphere of 
 spiritual emotion, and are fed with the manna given 
 for the day. 
 
 To sink all thought of self and its petty concerns, 
 to be indifferent to any fault-finding, to be utterly 
 devoted to the spiritual benefit of the congregation, 
 is a prime requisite for ability in extemporaneous 
 speech. If the preacher lack many things and have 
 this, he will succeed, in his proper avocation of 
 winning souls ; failing of this, all other qualifications 
 are but sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. 
 
 Next in order of importance, and in fact resultant 
 from a lofty and ardent faith in God, is that serene 
 courage which can never be perturbed, but is so per- 
 fect as to be hardly conscious of itself. The preacher 
 may be a young man, called to speak to those who 
 are older and more experienced, possibly in many 
 things wiser than himself. They are men of busi- 
 ness, accustomed to deference, proud and self-willed, 
 perhaps wealthy, and haughty in the consciousness 
 
 14* 
 
Lo(; EXTEMPORE PHEACHING. 
 
 of wealth. But they are sinners, and need -the 
 gospel as much as the poorest. They know it, and 
 the minister knows it. He is there to tell them so, 
 plainly, emphatically, repeatedly. If he dare do 
 this, if he can do it skillfully, affectionately, without 
 violence or personalities, they will respect him and 
 his preaching. If he dare not do it, they may ap- 
 plaud, but will secretly despise him. 
 
 Sometimes it needs a dauntless heroism to face a 
 great popular sin, and speak of its enormity in the 
 presence of leading men who prefer that nothing 
 should be said about it. It Avas their unquailing 
 courage on the question of slavery, which won theh- 
 influence, to many of the great preachers of the last 
 generation. They risked position, salary, and reputa- 
 tion, over and over again, to declare unpopular 
 ti'uth, and though it often aroused fierce opposition, 
 it ended by giving them power and fame. 
 
 It was their courage, more even than their ability, 
 which gave the great French preachers, of the time 
 of Louis XIY, their marvelous hold on the giddy 
 population of Paris. When we reflect how the 
 royal power had become exaggerated, so that all 
 men trembled before the king, and did not dare to 
 look above his shoe-buckles ; how nobles, people and 
 clergy, alike, joined in a cliorus of applause to Avliat- 
 ever his majesty might condescend to do, however 
 iniquitous or tyrannical ; w^e can appreciate the 
 bravery of Bourdaloue, when, after preaching on 
 David's sin of adultery, before a crowded assembly 
 
SPIKITUAL CONDITIONS. 151 
 
 of courtiers, he suddenly "turned to Louis with the 
 thunderbolt, '' Thou art the man " ! 
 
 Equally courageous, though in a slightly different 
 wa}^, was the celebrated exordium to the funeral ad- 
 dress by Massillon. The Great King was now dead ; 
 "Louis le Grand," as he had proudly termed him- 
 self. His nobles, relatives, ambassadors, officers, — a 
 tearful and excited concourse, — had gathered to the 
 imposing obsequies in the cathedral. The preacher 
 ascended the pulpit, all eyes upon him. He gazed 
 upon the mortal remains of so much splendor and 
 power, and then upon the assembly, hushed in eager 
 expectation of his opening words. They were, 
 '' God alone is great, my brethren ; " simj)le words, 
 an obvious and commonplace truth, but it demanded 
 a high order of courage to speak them, then and there. 
 The speaker who does not fear shall stand before 
 kings. Having command of himself, his own fears, 
 prejudices, ambitions, he may command others, and 
 bow^ their hearts as the wind bends the forest trees. 
 
 It is not necessary, however, often to show one's 
 courage by an attack on individuals. While we 
 commend the courage of Bourdaloue in the instance 
 mentioned above, it is a question whether he did not 
 violate good taste in publicly reproving the King. 
 He might have drawn a picture of the sin of adultery 
 so clearly that the application would have been evi- 
 dent, and have reserved his personal rebuke for the 
 royal closet. There may have been, however, excep- 
 tional reasons in that case for his very unusual per- 
 
152 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 sonality. But it is evident that in any ordinary 
 pulpit sucli direct references to a person in the 
 audience or elsewhere are uncalled for and unwise. 
 So far from exemplifying the preacher's courage, 
 they merely exhibit his reckless unfairness; for he 
 attacks men where they are not allowed to answer 
 him or justify themselves. If he wishes to reprove; 
 personally, a liquor-dealer, or quack-doctor, or Wall 
 street speculator, or crafty railroad manipulator, he 
 may show equal courage and greater wisdom by a 
 quiet remonstrance in private than by, however fierce, 
 a public assault. Such assaults do little good, but, 
 rather harm. An ignorant and excitable constit- 
 uency may cheer them, but rather from envy of 
 prosperous men than from a just abhorrence of tlieir 
 sins. The preacher properly deals with classes, not 
 with individuals. His admonitions should be directed 
 to all, not to any one man, exclusive of the rest. Let 
 him so speak as condemning sin, describing the va- 
 rious kinds of sins clearly, condemning the subter- 
 fuges of conscience by which it would avoid the di- 
 vine law ; and the personal application may safely 
 be left to the hearer. It will be all the sharper if 
 he makes it himself. 
 
 Another moral quality of highest importance 
 flows from a sincere faith, and that is perseverance. 
 If it were the cause of man he advocates, he might 
 well be discouraged, should there be- few apparent 
 results. If it is God's cause he pleads, he may be 
 confident that God will attend to his own work, and 
 
SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS. 153 
 
 prosper the seed that has been ])rayerfiillj sown. In 
 one sense the preacher should look for immediate re- 
 sults. That is, he ought greatly to desire them, and 
 do his utmost to secure them. It is a good plan oc- 
 casionally^ to invite all who may be willing to begin 
 the Christian life to give a public indication of it in 
 ^ome way, or to appoint an inquiry meeting which 
 they are urged to attend. But, having done so, the 
 preacher, if a man of faith, will not fall into a pet 
 or be disheartened if no inquirers appear. One ser- 
 mon does very little apparent good as a general rule, 
 but a hundred sermons will accomplish something, 
 and each one did its share. 
 
 A sermon should be one movement in a great 
 campaign. It is part of a long series of moral im- 
 pressions which the pastor is seeking to make upon 
 the community, and he can afford to wait for the 
 finished results. Nothing more illustrates the divine 
 origin of Christ's teaching than the calmness with 
 wdiich he utters the truth and then leaves it to make 
 its own impression. It is the heavenly seed scattered 
 through the world. Some will, it is true, be de- 
 voured of fowls, some choked by thorns or with- 
 ered on the stony ground, but the balance is 
 sure to bring forth its appointed harvest. He did 
 not ask all that were impressed to '^stand up" imme- 
 diately, or come forward to an anxious seat. He 
 rather repressed the outward manifestations of zeal, 
 and bade those who were helped by him to ''tell no 
 
154 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 It is related in the life of a very successful pastor, 
 that upon entering a new parish he, from the first 
 day, " preached for a revival." He did not expect 
 it from the first sermon, or score of sermons. He 
 knew that a man must sow before he can reap. But 
 he persevered until in one or two years the revival 
 came. 
 
 That preacher will exert a benign influence who, 
 like Moses descending from Sinai, has manifestly 
 come to the people from the serene heights of com- 
 munion with God. The spiritual preparation is of 
 greater consequence than the intellectual one. Prayer 
 is the. secret re-enforcement of the preacher's faith, 
 which God will recompense with an open reward. 
 Having talked face to face with God, he will not be 
 much disconcerted in talking with men. And not 
 only does secret prayer create a calm and holy con- 
 fidence in his own mind, it puts a winsome quality 
 into his manner, and a sweetness into his words, 
 which gives them entrance to the popular heart. 
 
 It is a not unfrequent experience with a minister 
 in actual service that he must enter upon the sacred 
 work of the Sabbath suffering from depression, caused 
 by anxieties and cares of various kinds. There are 
 financial difficulties in the church, or opposition to 
 him has begun to appear, and harsh criticisms have 
 been reported from some of his principal supporters, 
 or there has been sickness and death in the parish, 
 making a severe drain upon his sympathies. What 
 to do under these discouragements ? Trust God, and 
 
SPIKITUAL CONDITIONS. 155 
 
 do his duty as best he can, saying nothing publicly 
 of his }3nvate griefs. Preach the Gospel with all 
 the more fervor, knowing that he is the serv^ant of 
 God, rather than of men. They called the master 
 Beelzebub ; it is of little consequence what they 
 call the disciples. And his God shall make him to 
 stand under whatever discouragements and reverses. 
 There is, at times, a kind of atmospheric influence 
 abroad among the congregation, of material assist- 
 ance to extempore preaching ; so much so that nearly 
 all ministers attempt it then, though they may never 
 have done so before. We mean, of course, the at- 
 mosphere of a revival. The Holy Ghost has de- 
 scended upon the city, because the Lord Jesus has 
 much people there, and the time of their ingathering 
 has come. The churches are, all at once, filled to 
 overflowing ; the week-day services are well attended. 
 Abundant and heartfelt prayer ascends from every 
 private oratory, from every family altar, from every 
 thronged prayer-meeting. The people are aroused, 
 attentive, sympathetic. They desire the plainest 
 truth, stated in the most unadorned fashion. The 
 mercy of God in Christ, the way of repentance, the 
 path to the cross, the new life of faith and hope, is 
 what they wish to hear of. These are topics near 
 to the heart of every zealous pastor, and he is for- 
 ward to speak of them, earnestly and fully. 'No one 
 thinks at such a time of the intellectual caliber of 
 the discourses, their learned allusions and brilliant 
 metaphors. The points demanding attention are far 
 
l.ie EXTEMFORK IMiEACniXG. 
 
 profoiinder, and take hold on eternal life. Under 
 tliese circnmstances any minister preaches fluently. 
 No longer conscious of self, in its vanities and defi- 
 ciencies, his object is to bring souls to Clirist by the 
 nearest and straiglitestroad. Burning words, carry- 
 ing conviction, flow unpremeditated from his earnest 
 lips. It is the tongue of Are, lighting and warming 
 the sanctuary. Such days are sacred, marked white 
 in tlie preacher's remembrance. 
 
 Says President Humphrey in a letter to his son, 
 speaking of a revival, " You cannot expect much 
 time to write, it is true ; nor will it be necessary. It 
 will astonisli you to And with what freedom you can 
 speak on ahnost any subject at the sliortest notice. 
 Thoughts and w^ords will coirie to you as they never 
 did before." . . . 
 
 But such occasions must be, in the very nature of 
 tlie case, exceptionah Men will not remain long in 
 an aroused and excited condition, no matter how 
 genuine the work of grace may be. After the freshet 
 the stream returns to its ordinary channel. The re- 
 vival is gone and the plodding, difficult work remains 
 of gathering u]) and securing the fruits. Then comes 
 the trial of tlie preacher's faith and zeal. Can he 
 speak for God as boldly and plainly, on a quiet Sun- 
 day evening in June, as he did during the glorious 
 meetings that followed the week of prayer ? Is it 
 possible to preserve a trained and veteran fervor the 
 year througli and always be eager to gather souls 
 into the Kingdom 'i Then the power of glowing 
 
SriK'ITUAL CONDITIONS. 157 
 
 Speech that marked his discourses during the revival 
 maj coutinue witli him the year arouud. 
 
 But, if a minister cannot always be at his best, he 
 can always speak earnestly to the people, in grave 
 and serious words that shall be for edification ; and 
 however deficient in preparation, or in facility of ex- 
 pression the discourse may be, he has no need to 
 apologize for it, seeing he has done his best. Indeed, 
 of all poor methods tliat have been invented for in- 
 troducing a sermon, in our opinion, an ai)()logy is the 
 worst. It is an obtrusion of self, when quite other 
 considerations should be prominent. What differ- 
 ence does it make to the audience, if the speaker 
 has a cold, or lias been sick, or too busy to study, or 
 away from his books 'i If really unprepared he 
 Avould better decline to speak. At least, he could 
 read an old sermon. 
 
 But an apology usually means tJiat the speaker 
 has not been able to prepare so fine an oration as he 
 could wish, and the motive of it is easily seen to be 
 vanity. Suppose he has had no especial time or 
 strength for arranging that particular discourse ; 
 still, he is the servant of the Lord, doing his Mas- 
 ter's work ; he has the preparation of all his previous 
 years of study, and the skill acquired in speaking a 
 thousand times. If he cannot now rise and address 
 an audience of his fellow-sinners for half an hour, 
 in a manner suitable to their improvement, there 
 must have been some grave defect, either in his 
 training, or in his conception of what a sermon 
 shouhl be. 
 
158 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 Besides, an apology calls attention beforehand to 
 the anticipated iDOverty of the address. All the 
 critical people are put npon the alert, to see how 
 poor it will he. Tliey are forewarned to expect a 
 failure, and will naturally pride tlieniselves on find- 
 ing it. If nothing in derogation had been said by 
 the preacher, they might liave gone home thinking it 
 one of his best sermons; and it may easily turn out 
 to be better than he had expected. The great bulk of 
 the congregation, who come, not to be amused, or to 
 glorify the minister, but to be edified and strength- 
 ened by a solemn service, will for the most part 
 think nothing about tlie intellectual quality of the 
 sermon, unless it is suggested to them by the 
 preacher himself. They will be occupied by the 
 serious and important thoughts, or moved by his 
 ardor for their salvation. An apology, therefore, is 
 w^orse than useless, for it calls attention to defects 
 that otherwise might escape unnoticed. 
 
 When speaking of the voice, we mentioned the 
 value of sympatlietic emotion, in imparting to it a 
 tender and persuasive quality. Tlie effect of sym- 
 pathy is not seen in the voice alone, but in the choice 
 of arguments and the whole tone of the sermon. 
 Sympathy is a fellow-feeling for the joys and sorrows 
 of men. It enables the preacher to put himself in 
 their place for the time, and feel as they do It gives 
 a knowledge of human nature, invaluable to one who 
 wishes to mold the passions and characters of his 
 audience. It is said of Jesus that " he knew what 
 was in man." This gave him power to anticipate 
 
SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS. 159 
 
 their thoughts and adapt his teaching to their inmost 
 needs. While we cannot hope to know men perfectly, 
 as he did, we may cultivate, to an indehnite degree, a 
 perception of their emotions, partly by a habit of 
 observation, partly by looking into our own lieart. 
 Human hearts answer to each other as faces are re- 
 flected from a mirror. The same hopes, fears, 
 temptations, ambitions, are in all, but combined in 
 different degrees. A sympathetic preacher seems to 
 his hearers to be giving eloquent expression to their 
 own ideas. They go away saying : it was just what 
 they had always thought. They are interested and 
 excited because he appears to say exactly what they 
 would have said in his place. He holds up the mir- 
 ror before each man, and all recognize their portrait. 
 The secret of it is, that he has first looked into his 
 own heart and described what he saw there. 
 
 Sympathy with the people, if genuine, will give 
 to the preacher, what many ministers sorely need, 
 namely, tact. By this quality men are able to deal 
 with each other and accomplish their ends without 
 friction or irritation. It is a great advantage in all 
 relations of life, but especially to a clergyman. So 
 many sore and sensitive hearts are in his keeping, 
 needing the consolations of the gospel ; so many 
 wayward and impetuous youth, that may be won by 
 kindness and are sure to be repelled by harshness ; 
 so many conflicting interests in the church to be 
 reconciled, until the most contradictory people are 
 brought to live together as one happy family ; peo- 
 ple grasping and avaricious that are to be gently 
 
160 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 persuaded to part with their dearly-loved wealth ; 
 the terrors of the law to be faithfully declared, with- 
 out driving the sinner to indiiference or despair: re- 
 sponsibilities such as these tempt him to cry ''Who 
 is sufficient for these things ? " But tact can accom- 
 plish it, and does, every day. Tact is the outward 
 expression of the love and sympathy with which his 
 soul is filled. He is sensitive of hurting their feel- 
 ings unnecessarily. He knows what things are likely 
 to hurt, for his own nerves are sensitive and he can 
 appreciate the suffering of others. Some men are 
 like a rhinoceros, tough of hide, heavy of foot, and 
 with a strong horn for stirring up things. They go 
 through life trampling on tender and suffering hearts. 
 If there is any possible way of creating trouble, they 
 are sure to fall upon it. Pachydermatous them- 
 selves, they cannot realize the sensitiveness of others. 
 It is terrible to see such men in the pastorate. They 
 alienate more souls than they win. But the delicate 
 tact, of such a man as Dr. Nettleton, for example, 
 attracts thousands into the kingdom ; and the mem- 
 ory of it lingers, like a delicate perfume, for a score 
 of years. 
 
 Thus, the necessary spiritual condition of success 
 is seen to be a faith that first of all unites the 
 speaker's soul to God in a living and vital bond. 
 Faith bestows courage, perseverance, and sympa- 
 thetic tact in dealing with others, and renders the 
 man of God fit for all good works. The constant 
 prayer of all earnest ministers should be, " Lord, 
 increase our faith." 
 
XII. 
 
 EEPEATING. 
 
 It is sometimes adduced, as an objection to this 
 method of preaching, that the labor expended on a 
 sermon is lost, after it is once delivered, and that it 
 is as much work to recall and repeat a discourse the 
 second time, as was required for the Urst. Such has 
 not been the writer's experience. A sermon once 
 well wrought out becomes, on the contrary, a pos- 
 session for life. If it be on a solid subject that will 
 bear to be preached on again and again ; if the 
 argument be developed with care, the scriptural 
 proofs.are adequate, and the illustrations signihcant; 
 it is as easy to preach it again after twenty years, as 
 it was the first week. The substantial thought, in 
 all its ramifications, is indicated on the brief, and a 
 simple re-reading of the latter brings it all back to 
 the mind. The only new thing to be supplied is the 
 language, which is all the better for being fresh, and 
 after so many years of practice comes without con- 
 scious effort. It is necessary, however, that the 
 mind should be in an active and fertile condition, 
 and the studies kept up continuously, or the old 
 brief will seem to be but a collection of dry bones. 
 There is no place for indolence or sluggishness in ex- 
 
 15* 
 
1G2 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 tempore preaching, either at the beginning or after- 
 wards. 
 
 It is, however, seldom found to be advisable to 
 preach a sermon exactly as before-. In all proba- 
 bility, if the speaker is a student, he has learned some- 
 thing in twenty years. His views of truth are 
 modified. His knowledge of men and affairs is 
 ampler. The old sermon, as it is, will no longer 
 content him. But it is easy to alter and correct the 
 brief, so as to bring the discourse up to his present 
 standard. Some heads will be changed, some 
 thrown out and others substituted. Generally it 
 will be found that the divisions liave expanded so 
 that fewer are required. Above all, it will be wise 
 to change the illustrations, so many at least as were 
 pertinent to passing events, as the best ones are apt 
 to be. 
 
 A sermon preached, for example, during the war 
 naturally contained several references to the army, 
 allusions to recent victoi-ies or defeats, to the state of 
 the campaign, or to the feelings of those in the con- 
 gregation whose friends were at the front. Ten or 
 twenty years later these illustrations were no longer 
 apposite. They would then be lieard with impa- 
 tience as belonging to something entirely gone by. 
 But with a little pains they can all be changed for 
 something more recent. The same great principles 
 are as well illustrated by what happens to-day as by 
 what occurred a score of years ago, and it is easy to 
 make the substitution. Tlie sermon will thns gain 
 
REPKATING. 163 
 
 immensely in interest and in applicability to tlie 
 needs of the people. 
 
 In fact, here is one advantage of the unwritten 
 above the written sermon. Changes can be made in 
 it more easily. A written discourse a few years old 
 is pervaded by the tone of feeling prevalent wdien it 
 was composed. Every paragraph is redolent of the 
 state of the church, or the condition of business, 
 whether hopeful or depressed, or of the preacher's 
 own feelings, if it was a timely discourse, and not a 
 mere abstract discussion. Now tliis pervading tone 
 can be altered with some pains, l)ut it is more labor 
 than it would be to nuike equal changes in an un- 
 written sermon. A day spent on tlie latter, or even 
 an hour, if haste is necessary, will so alter its form, 
 while preserving the substance, that nobody will 
 imagine he had ever heard it before. Indeed, no- 
 body has heard it, for it is essentially a new^ sermon, 
 although the skeleton is old ; like an old house recon- 
 structed and repainted until the neighbors hardly 
 recognize it for the same. 
 
 The objection may l)e raised here that such recast- 
 ing of sermons involves so much labor that it might 
 be as well to create new ones instead. But, as it 
 seems to us, the labor is far more economically be- 
 stowed in the former case than in the latter. There 
 may be as much labor involved; there should be as 
 much labor as the preacher has time and strength to 
 give. But if expended on a discourse that has been 
 preaclied once or twice before, the same amount of% 
 
164 extempore: preaching. 
 
 work will produce far more finished and satisfactory 
 results. The mind works more easily in accustomed 
 grooves. A sermon, once delivered and laid aside, 
 becomes, as it were, something objective to the au- 
 thor of it. It is a veritable substance thrown off and 
 for the time forgotten. When taken up for criticism 
 some years later the preacher can regard it with 
 somewhat of the impartiality of a stranger. He can 
 perceive how it would strike an audience better than 
 he possibly could while it was warm from the first 
 forging. The whole can now be re-studied and made 
 more accurate, broad, and complete in every way. 
 With the same amount of effort required in the pro- 
 duction of a new sermon, the old one can be made 
 into a much better sermon than the new one 
 would be. 
 
 Our advice is to recast the best sermons as often as 
 once in seven or eight years, not intermitting the 
 production of new ones meanwhile, but making un- 
 remitted efforts to have the old ones as perfect as 
 possible. Every time the sermon is recast in this 
 way it becomes more an integral expression of the 
 idea, simple and strong in outline, perspicuous in its 
 language, telling in its illustrations. It is thus easier 
 for the minister to preacli and pleasanter for the 
 people to hear. 
 
 It may be that the changes made are merely 
 
 formal ones, expressing more perfectly the same 
 
 thoughts as before. But it is quite as likely that the 
 
 I' alterations will be. essential ones in the very structure 
 
KEPEATINd. 165 
 
 and bearing of the discourse. In •either case the 
 sermon will be improved by revision after an inter- 
 val of time has elapsed since it was first made. 
 
 It is stated in the life of a famous American clergy- 
 man of the last generation that he had written 
 about six thousand sermons during a ministry of 
 sixty years. Witli all respect to such a venerable 
 example, it seems that the labor would have been 
 more economically laid out in rewriting each of one 
 thousand sermons six times over. Granting that he 
 wished to do so much work, a sermon six times recast 
 is likely to be better than a sermon written but once. 
 Probably, however, in this case the sermons, although 
 from a new text, were the same old thoughts in a 
 new dress, for no man has ideas enough to fill out 
 six thousand absolutely distinct sermons. 
 
 It is important, therefore, to preserve carefully an 
 outline of every sermon that a minister has preached 
 for future revision and repetition. It is wise also to 
 preserve a brief even of prayer-meeting addresses, 
 funeral remarks, and talks to children. The intel- 
 lect is not always creative of new thought. Good 
 material should never be thrown away. Once pro- 
 duced it should be kept for a life-time. It is the 
 only way in which the preacher can accumulate capi- 
 tal which will allow time for doing other kinds of 
 work in after years, by rendering easier the ordinary 
 duties of his profession. 
 
 A frequent examination of the packages of briefs, 
 whether of sermons or prayer-meeting talks, taken 
 by yearly periods, will serve a useful purpose by 
 
166 p^XTEMPORK prp;aching, 
 
 showing tlie preacher what lias been tlie general 
 course of his sermonizing. Has he accorded a due 
 proportion of time to tlie great themes of the faith, 
 or has he wandered into subordinate and less impor- 
 tant discussions ? Has he j^i'eached much about 
 Christ 'i Has he often sought directly for the con- 
 version of men ? Have the divine attributes been 
 held up, that men might fear and love the living God? 
 Such questions as these often and anxiously asked by 
 every zealous minister, are easily answered by look- 
 ing over the little bundle of sermon briefs pertaining 
 to the year. They show in a moment wl^at he has 
 been doing, and enable him to supply deficiencies, 
 that the entire substance of his teaching may become 
 more symmetrical with the solid substance of 
 the Gospel. In the idiosyncracies of any mind, 
 there is danger of undue emphasis upon certain parts 
 of the divine messap^e to the harmful neo^lect of the 
 rest. This tendency may be corrected by a frequent 
 review of the topics that have been preached upon, 
 forcibly reminding the preacher of what may be in 
 excess. 
 
 It is not, however, to be hastily concluded that a 
 minister fails of his duty because certain aspects of 
 the truth recur to him frequently, and are more 
 willingly preached upon, than others. He may have 
 been divinely appointed to that very end, that some 
 neglected truth may be rescued from oblivion and 
 forced anew upon the attention of a reluctant gen- 
 eration. If any one is curious in the matter, he can 
 easily satisfy himself by an examination of ^their 
 
REPEATING. 167 
 
 published sermons, that the great preachers have 
 preferred to work over incessantly a few leading 
 ideas, rather than to search for novel ones. At 
 least, it is (piite characteristic of them to do so. 
 Their originality consisted in stating and fully apply- 
 ing two or three great principles, or sometimes a 
 single one. Their power was immensely increased 
 by the ease and effectiveness with which they 
 handled themes, tliat set their own souls on fire, and 
 which they liad spoken of many times before. With 
 one it was the sovereignty of God, with another jus- 
 tification by faith ; the divine sympathy shown 
 through Christ, " the soul of goodness in things 
 evil," the reformatory power of the gospel on human 
 society, have each been leading ideas with great and 
 powerful preachers. Some owe their startling- 
 energy to the direct appeal, never omitted, for im- 
 mediate repentance and conversion. Others have 
 almost always fallen into the tone of tender and 
 pathetic emotion. Others deal in practical applica- 
 tions of the gospel to works of charity or social con- 
 duct. Probably this constant repetition of a few 
 great thoughts was the necessity of their mental 
 action. The thoughts had been so impressed upon 
 their own spiritual experience, that they seemed to 
 be the chief part of the gospel. 
 
 The young preacher need not be afraid, then, of 
 the charge that he is repeating himself. Repeat 
 himself, he certainly will, in any event; for no 
 mind can pour forth absolutely new matter for a term 
 of years. But there is less objection to tlie repeti- 
 
16S EXTEMPOE?: rKEAOFIlNG. 
 
 tion, if wliat he repeats is intrinsically important, 
 one of the great and significant principles of the 
 faith. 
 
 But the most famous preachers have not only re- 
 peated constantly a few great thoughts. Many of 
 them were not ashamed to repeat precisely the same 
 sermon. So much was tliis the case with the French 
 preachers, that it gave occasion to an oft-quoted say- 
 ing of Louis XIY, that " lie would rather hear the 
 repetitions of Bon rd alone than the novelties of other 
 men." This was w^ell know^n to be the habit of White- 
 field ; " Foote and Garrick maintained that his ora- 
 tory was not at its full height, until lie had repeated 
 a discourse forty times." Franklin said of the same 
 great orator, " By hearing him often, I came to dis- 
 tinguish easily between sermons newly composed, 
 and those he had preached often in the course of his 
 travels. His delivery of the latter was so im23roved 
 by frequent repetition, that every accent, every em- 
 phasis, every modulation of voice was so perfectly 
 tuned, that one could not help being pleased with 
 the discourse." Says Dr. Southey, it was a great 
 advantage that he could alter the sermons with each 
 new delivery ; " those parts were omitted which had 
 been felt to come feebly from the tongue, and fall 
 hea^ly on the ear; and their place was supplied 
 by matter newly laid in, in the course of his studies, 
 or fresh from the feeling of the moment. The salient 
 points of his oratory were not ])repared passages — 
 they were bursts of passion, like jets of a geyser, 
 when the spring is in full play." 
 
REPEATING. ] 69 
 
 These passages taken from Philip's life of White- 
 field prove sufficiently his habit of repeating favorite 
 sermons. He could do^ this more easily, as he was 
 constantly meeting new audiences on his travels ; 
 an advantage which a settled pastor does not have. 
 But they prove also that Whitefield was not con- 
 tent with a parrot-like repetition. Although 
 the sermon had been written at first, it was con- 
 stantly changed on delivery, to suit the changed con- 
 ditions of the audience, or the altered mood of the 
 speaker. He was entirely independent of the man- 
 uscript, and although his preparations had been as 
 elaborate as possible, he spoke at last, under the im- 
 pulse of the moment. 
 
 One of Dr. Chalmer's admirers liumorously re- 
 ports that on a certain occasion he was edified by 
 hearing a sermon, which the doctor had preached 
 several times before. Dr. Dewey, in his recently- 
 published autobiography, says that he had preached 
 all of liis sermons five times over before leaving !New 
 Bedford, and had '' preached tliem to death " during 
 his pastorate in New York. Perhaps tliis was one 
 secret of the wonderful charm said to have been 
 found in his preaching. 
 
 Probably in all these cases, while the sermon was 
 repeated, in its essential features, there had been in- 
 troduced many modifications, to match the new occa- 
 sion. The illustrations miglit be varied, or the ap- 
 plication changed. "Wliat was before a topic of con- 
 solation, might now become a source of admonition ; 
 
170 EXTEMPORE PREACHING. 
 
 or if previously applied to individuals, it iniglit take 
 a broader outlook, contemplating the church or the 
 nation. 
 
 It serves a useful purpose, also, to vary the mode 
 of preparation, in a sermon which is to be repeated. 
 For example, if it was written before, it may be 
 recast as an extemporaneous sermon, or an extem- 
 poraneous sermon may be afterwards written out 
 carefully. Each of these methods involves very 
 considerable changes in the sermon. It will proba- 
 bly be improved by the revision, in either case. 
 Working over the thought from a new point of view, 
 or with new materials, or with additional labor, 
 clarifies it, and increases its vigor. 
 
 Recasting sermons in this way conduces, more- 
 over, to one quality of style peculiarly important to 
 a speaker, namely, to perspicuity. Having recast 
 the same discourse four or five times, which will 
 necessitate the going over it in his thoughts, at least 
 twenty times, at long intervals, the whole subject 
 has grown to be lucid and definite to the mind. 
 The preacher knows exactly what he would say. 
 He has said it to himself a score of times, in a 
 variety of expressions. He now sees clearly the end 
 from the beginning, and the interdependence of 
 every part. His sentences will take, finally, an al- 
 most proverbial form from much attrition. His 
 style will become pellucid as a mountain brook, 
 through which his ideas show like rounded pebbles 
 on the bottom.