THE POWER OF SERMONS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), 30 October 1883, Page 4

THE POWER OF SERMONS.

"John Blunt," a contributor to the Saturday Advertiser, a.rites:— AVhen Mr Justice Higinbotham roused the ire of a section of the Presbyterian clergy of A ictoria by hinting that the pulpit had ceased to lead thinking laymen, ho only gave utterance to Avhat many clergymen would admit to bo a sad fact. Many causes, no doubt, contribute to this result, but has the necessity of fulfilling the task of evolving two sermons per week fitted to appropriate texts, Avhich is imposed on the clergy, nothing to do with it ? If they Avere allowed a greater range of subjects would it not be better both for themselves and their hearers ? Excellent though the Bible be, and marvellously varied the aphorisms it contains, it must sometimes be a source; of difficulty for a parson to find one which is suitable as an introduction to the thoaghts he his desirous of laying before his congregation. A fitting text perhaps exists, oven though "they did not know everything down iv Judec," but the unfortunate clergyman may be unable to recall it Avhen Avanted, and bo situated somewhat like the country squire who, Avhen somo boys Avere brought before him in his capacity of Justice, charged with stealing gooseberries, after searching in the manual which formed his hnv library under the several heads of "boys," "gooseberries," and "berries," Avithout gaining any information, dismissed them with a caution, as there was uo law lo mid t/teir case. Every clergyman is not blessed Avith the ingenuity of the AVest End preacher avlio, from the text, " AYe have toiled all night and caught nothing," delivered himself of a scathing sermon denouncing the practice of fashionable mothers taking their daughters from one ball to another hunting for husbands. This Avorthy must have been first-cousin to the Irish priest who preached an eloquent discourse on the: land question from the text, '' And the rent was made Averse !'' Probably there was less malice prepense in the wellknown selection by Spurgeou of the words "And the beggar died," as tho peg on which to hang the funeral sermon of an influential member of his congregation. Modern preachers have propped the old fashioned "heads," and the "sixthly, my brethren,' speaks of a bygone time. Might not greater freedom lie allowed in the matter of texts with advantage .