SHOULD SERMONS BE COMPULSORY?

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2367, 7 August 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

SHOULD SERMONS BE COMPULSORY?

_ The Rev Llewellyn D. Baran who ks just been appointed pastor of the Collinsstreet Oonatregational Church, Melbourne, writiue; to tho "Pall Mall Gazette under the above heading Bays : "This matter referred to by recent correspondents Is one whioh affects the attendance at the free churches quite as much as that at the Borvices of the Establishment. We charge the liturgical service with want of flexibility. Are we not as stiff and formal and inelastio in aur 80-called * free forrao ?' Let it be granted that most peoplo can endure, perhaps enjoy, the morning Borvice with its lengthened worship and sometimes not ;oo short sermon. There are many who itigin to think that a second Bormou is nore than either flesh or spirit can bear, md yet who have a quasi-conscientious eeling that they ought to go to church nore than once on the Sunday. There ire others who have not altogether takon o the more elaborate, musical performnces of even Puritan assemblies. Why lot meet their wants by dividing our econd Sunday service into two parts by .short interval?' Lot the: first .be the rorship with hymns, chants, anthems, irayersanda brief lesson, as is usual. rhoae who find that enough might then efciro. Thoso who wish to hear a sermon teed not attend the first service. A few linutes of silence or while a voluntary Ms being played on the organ might give pportumty for somo to retire and others o enter Then let 'here bo a short ermou introduced by a hymn and a irayer, and the services of the day might lose with another hymn and the benodicion. Why keep people in to the sermon mfc of supposed respect for the preacher, rhile they are fuming and fretting and panting to go home',? Why expect everylody to enter into the worship who cannot ympathise with the tenets to bo leveloped and advanced. The mistake of he preachers and the churches is that hey do not adapt their methods to the aried needs whioh, after all, are shown ly the tastes of the people. Depend upon t, the second service is on its trial. with the amount of Christian wk done by earnest persons during the luaday, .we might a little relax the Bevere ashions of a former age. The people ?ant the break 1 suggest. Let them have t, and we shall secure sympathetic worhippere and interested hearers. Now, ce often find only severe or cynical ritics, because they are too tired to lecome anything ek. Fault-finding with ervice or BBrmon does not demand much ;race or genins. Yet we perhaps deserve t, because we are such slaves to* custom."