§ 3. Object of Preaching.

The object of preaching (of every sermon, I mean) should be “ Jesus Christ crucified, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."-1 Cor., i., 30. In every sermon we must either start from Christ or come to him. The whole of Christianity should be in every sermon, in this sense that sanctification never appear in it independent of faith, nor faith separate from sanctification. Where this combination does not appear of itself, where these two elements are not so incorporated and consubstantial, the one with the other, that it is morally and rationally impossible to speak of one without speaking of the other, there no true Gospel is present, and that which is preached is not the Gospel.

It is according to this sense that we must understand the words of St. Paul: "I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."-1 Cor., ii., 2. These words signify, first, that St. Paul did not seek and did not publish salvation in any other than Jesus Christ; but they also signify that in whatever he taught he returned to this, came back to this, that this was every where present in his preaching, actually or virtually, as substance or as savor. But these same words do not signify absolutely that St. Paul knew nothing else. On the contrary, he knew, and the true pastor, after his example, should know, a great deal else. It is true, very often, that a preacher who literally knows nothing but Christ crucified, who puts nothing but this in his sermons, may produce excellent effects; so great is the value and the expansive force of the Christian doctrine. But this does not form the rule: The rule rather is to show, to enforce the relation of religion to whatever pertains to man and to human life. So far from having us ignorant of every thing, the rule much rather would have us know, or at least understand, every thing; not in order to

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declare, not in order to display in the pulpit an encyclopedia of knowledge, but that nothing may be said which may meet a contradiction, or that will not find confirmation in facts; and also that every thing which we speak may be more direct, more striking, more true. There are a thousand things which we should never speak of in the pulpit, of which, nevertheless, we should not be ignorant; and an experienced hearer will discern in a sermon which speaks only of Jesus Christ and of religion the imprint or the reflection of diversified knowledge, which the orator does not outwardly produce, but which turns within him in succum et sanguinem. Besides, we can not in all cases say beforehand what a Christian orator should or should not speak. Necessarily, he is to speak of human life; and, to be instructive, he must enter into details Who may say where is the limit. What would be superfluous in certain times or in certain places, in others would be no more than necessary.

In theology, it is very necessary to distinguish between doctrine and morality; but a nice distinction between sermons on doctrine and sermons on morality is of small importance to a Christian preacher. Doctrine and morality, which are interfused, identified in the Christian heart, should be so in Christian preaching. I would have no other rule than this let doctrine abound in moral preaching, and morality abound in doctrinal preaching. But, without doubt, a preacher should oblige himself to give to his parishioners instruction, both moral and doctrinal, as complete as possible.

§ 4. Unity of Preaching.

What we have now said leads us to observe, that preaching in a parish should be regarded as a whole, and not be made up of detached discourses, of each of which chance alone has furnished the subject. It is one continuous action; it is only one and the same sermon formed of many consecutive sermons.

This may be So, it should be so, even when we pursue nei

ther a systematic order of subjects, nor preach on a book or books of the Bible. Both these methods have their utility. The one relieves us of the trouble of choosing a text, the other that of choosing a subject. There is a consecutiveness -a progress in them also, which interests and which attracts.

But even without following either of these courses, the true pastor will have one marked out to him by his own observation and experience.

In order to this, it is necessary that we should regard the parish as a whole—a unit, as it is to every intelligent observer. It has a life, the phases of which are successive : it receives from our ministry a development which authorizes and urges us to modify our preaching. There is, there ought to be, between the pastor and his flock a common life, a reciprocal sensation, which conforms the auditory to the preacher and the preacher to the auditory. When the preacher has not received from his life as a pastor the word of command as to his successive preachings, we may doubt whether his ministry is well understood and well discharged.

In a congregation where there are two pastors, who preach by turns to the same auditory, it is very desirable that there should be so much union, and so much mutual confidence and agreement between them, as to enable them to suit their sermons to one another, so that they form, in a certain sense, but one instance of preaching, only one whole, in which repetition is avoided no less than contradiction.

5. Different Classes combined in the same Auditory. The unity of the parish is consistent with classes, and classes very distinct.

In a religious view, there are the converted and the un converted; or, if we will, those who have not yet received the Gospel-whether they admit or reject revelation, or

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whether they are in doubt on this subject, or whether it is vague and confused in their apprehension, all, however, in this respect equal, that the cross of Jesus is yet to them a stumbling-block or foolishness-and those who, consenting to seek their salvation in Jesus Christ, need henceforth to be more and more confirmed in their hope, and to walk with more steadfast step in the way in which Christ himself walked. Shall we preach alternately to these two classes? or, should we not rather introduce into each discourse something suited to both? I think it essential to speak in such a way that no one may deceive himself as to the unchangeable condition of salvation, and, what comes to the same thing, of sanctification. This secured, explicit and formal classifications do not seem to me generally necessary; and I think they are subject to more than one inconvenience, especially when they assume, as they commonly do with certain preachers, a direct and allocutive form. As occasion may require, describe the situation of each of these classes, but do not give them form; do not design them; do not teach your auditory to divide themselves into envious and hostile groups.* The auditory, no doubt, includes many sorts of men; nay, more, it includes so many shades of character, that your word can not suffice for all. We speak of sermons of appeal and sermons of sanctification: let us make both; or, let the same discourse exhibit both elements successively; but let us bear well in mind that the word of appeal applies to those who have already responded to the appeal, and the word of sanctification to those who have not responded to it. In one sense, all, even the most advanced, have need to be called

* "To separate your hearers into two classes, and to apostrophize them, one after another, in these terms: Ye sinners who have been graciously accepted; ye awakened sinners, and ye unrepentant sinners, tends only to irritation. Hold up to all the clear mirror of the Gospel, and each one, beholding himself in it, will see in what class he ought to place himself.”—Praktische Bemerkungen, p. 33.

anew; and the most alienated and the greatest strangers may be called by a sermon of sanctification. Of this there are a thousand examples. Conversion is but a moment in sanctification, and sanctification is but conversion repeated (continued) and prolonged.

The auditory is susceptible of further divisions. The only distinction of importance is that between the wise and the ignorant. St. Paul declares that he was debtor to both. I would not that the wants of the wise should be neglected; but, certain cases excepted, which may be easily represented, and of which the reckoning is soon made, we have before us an auditory, mixed, of the wise and the ignorant, and in which the ignorant make the majority. Now what for the second necessary is not unsuitable to the first; but what is proper

is

to the first is not suitable to the second. A man who understands his subject and his work can speak to the ignorant in a manner interesting and instructive to the wise. Depth and simplicity meet at the same point. Have you an audience composed of forty-nine wise and one ignorant? speak for that ignorant one. It is more necessary to efface than to render prominent the differences which exist among the different classes of an audience. The accidental, individual man should disappear, and give place to the universal man. In this consists the force of the ministry, the greatness and power of eloquence. Study your discourse with reference to all your hearers indiscriminately; but give no particular class occasion to think that you design to flatter their ears and obtain their favor. In Germany they make sermons für Gebildete.* What are these? Great eloquence is popular great orators have been popular ones.

Bourdaloue him

self was such, with all his knowledge of composition.

* For educated people.-Edit.