On the Style of Sermons
1. Let it be pure. — Avoid obsolete words and those composed of foreign lanyuages, which Barrow and L’Estrance made some unsnceessful efforts to introduce. — Avoid very hard words when easy ones are equally expressive of your meaning.
2. Intelligible and Avoid the intricacy of which Hows and Botlb are such remarkable instances. — When a sentence grows too long, divide it. — Affect not to confound the distinction between different periods and paragraphs by the perpetual use of connecting particles. — Encumber not your discourse with the particles, “by how much, by so much, for ’ as much as, furthermore, howbeit, &c.” — Do not deal in parentheses, unless they are very short. — An affected obscurity of style,” says Baxter, “makes a fool admire the preacher’s learning, but it will make a wise man wonder either at his hypocrisy or folly.”
§ 3. Strong and nervous. — Do not weaken it, as Watts sometimes does, by too many epithets; — nor by synonymous terms, than which nothing deadens a style more.
<5 ^<3f/w and composed, — Do not suffer yourselves to be carried away in the passionate parts of your discourse into high swelling words of vanity; — and never imagine the true sublime consists in bombastic expressions.
§ 5. Orthodox, — Avoid offensive phrases; — and use favorite ones, as far as you can fix a good meaning to them; — declare a good sense to them, and endeavour to teach others that idea.
§ 6. Grave and solemn. — Avoid ludicrous expressions. — That rule of Luther’s, ‘^ Qui pueriliter, populariter, trivialiter, et simpliciter docet, optimus ad vulgus est Concionator,” will not hold good in the present age. — Learning is not now at so low an ebb. Keep up the majesty of the pulpit. — Do not affect those
;^>breviations which make a discourse too familiar. — Be particularly careful to preserve reverence when speaking of the Divine Being. Scott often offends heinously in this; — e. g. he speaks of “Hissing the almighty poet off the stage, and damning his works; — of tantalizing God with the golden fruits of repentance; — of disappointing his hopes, and of playing the aftergame of repentance,” &c. — -such expresisions cannot be equalled except by that luscious style which some high notioned writers have used or affected,- — especially Crisp.
7. Generally plaih and always unaffected, — The boyish affectation of crow’ding every thing with ornaments, is despicable: — A discourse of this kind is like a mean dress bespangled with jewels.” — Take heed of poetical lines ;-r’and if without design you have fallen upon them let them, be altered in the review of your Sermon. — Avoid many points of wit; — when much of this appears it renders a man suspected whether’ he is in earnest for God. — There are too many instances of this in Spratt, of whom it might be said, (as well as of his friend Cowley) ‘’ He more hadpleas’d us, had he pleas’d us less.” — These are “spiders’ webs to catch flies.” — ^” This is like Nero’s lading his gallies from Egypt with sand for the wrestlers, when Rome was starving for want of corn,” Bates, p. 772.” Or like offering a basket of flowers to a hungry man, Rapin, vol. ii. p. 55.*
* RapirCs expressions are: *’ £t c* est ainsi que Ton frOBtre ia faim et la so if des fideles, par les fleurs so, LECTURES ON FKEACUl^O. t
8. Let not your discourses, however, be too bare, but prudently interspersed with fig’ ures. — When too many, they are like flovvery weeds ‘growing among corn, — which render the prospect more phasing to the eye, but hin-. der the growth; — or like painted glass moderately used, they exhikr ate the mind, and fasten on the memory. Therefore generally have some similes and many aHusions. If yoa borrow them,, quote the authors; — or it will be dressing yourselves with fine feathers which will probably soon be pulled off to your shame: by which you will be exposed -to shame, — for there is nothing so quickly discovered a» those passages which strike the memory so forcibly. Remember, ‘’ Non quaerit seger modicum eloquentem sed sanantem.”
§ 9. Let your styfe be free and easy to yourselves. Be careful not to labour it too much; nor affect to imitate any one. But form your own style and manner gradually, by conversing with the’ best authors. When you have well digested your thoughts, write pretty fast, and afterwards review and correct; this will have a peculiar effect, and give a populargrace, which stiff labour cannot attain.
§ 10. Liixelif. — This rule may take place when there is not much room or need for pa* thos. — Something of the laconic will conduce much to this. Great verbosity enervates and makes a discourse flat. — Yet by all means avoid an affected smartness; — similar to that which runs through Ecbard and Colubr.
d’line vaine Eloquence, dont on amnse leor coriosi« ,te.” Reflex. Sur L*£loquence de la chaire, f 3.
§ 11. Various. — Your styJe rqust vary witK the variety of your subjects, and sometimes ac» cording to the diSerent parts of the same subject; — in some measure too according to your auditory, and the generay manner preaching in the place where you live; — which you ought to endeavour gradually to improve. — The same style running through all your discourses will insensibly grow disagreeable, be it ever so good; and that which is richest, in writing as in food, will nauseate the soonest.
§ 12. Let it be harmonious, — Remember that harmony is a real thing, not only in speak* ing but in writing. — It may seem but a little thing, and it is not indeed the greatest, yet it is worth attending to, and may be attained by proper care. — Without it people will be nnea”- sy in hearing, when perhaps they* know not why. In order to attain it, let the ear be tuned by reading aloud, especially such authors as are remarkable for this excellence* Try your own compositions this way, even while composing as well as afterwards. Remember that perspicuity is a great friend to harmony. Avoid open voweFs and clashing consonants, too many monosyllables and; too great a cluster of short syllables is succession. But take heed not to admit verses in your prose for the sake of being harmonious.**
* On reading over a discourse to-onrselves we musi observe what words sound harsh, nnd agfree ill top gether; for there is music in speaking as well as in singing, which a man, though not otherwise eriticaL in sounds, will soon disoover. Burnet* s Past. Care’, p. 236. See Mason,’* Treatise oa Prosaic Kambera,.