A man

sent against the practice of preaching with notes. may be eloquent, who writes his sermons, like Chalmers, or who does not, as was the case with Whitefield. A serious objection may be urged against laying aside altogether the practice of preaching written sermons, but we are convinced that an immense benefit would arise from the cultivation of extemporaneous eloquence in the way, and under the limitations prescribed in the elegant little treatise before us.

We have already said, that this art is an important one. The preacher, who possesses it, will find the discharge of his duty more easy, and will be likely to be more useful, than the one who does not. Writing out in full all the sermons, which a settled minister is called to preach, is an endless labor; it is a slavery of the mind, to which it cannot be for a long time subjected without being greatly wearied, nor without a very sensible diminution of its acuteness and vigor. This weariness results not merely from the labor of thought, but also from the excessive manual toil, which must be endured by every one who comes often before the people, and yet cannot do it without a written preparation. If it is a fact, therefore, that a person can learn to express himself with propriety and effect in unpremeditated language, the individual, who deprives himself of this power, or rather who fails to attain it, voluntarily subjects himself to more wearisome efforts and a greater burden of toil, than would be required in making this valuable acquisition.

The advocates for extemporaneous preaching do not assert, that it should be attempted without a laborious preparation; they insist on the severest mental discipline. But even after many preparatory efforts, beginners in this exercise must expect sometimes to meet with a discomfiture. A certain sternness of purpose and selfpossession are essential to success, and these are not to be acquired except by repeated exertions in this mode of public speaking. The following remarks by Mr Ware, bearing on this point, are judicious and interesting.

'The history of the world is full of testimony to prove how much depends upon industry; not an eminent orator has lived, but is an example of it. Yet in contradiction to all this, the almost universal feeling appears to be, that industry can effect nothing, that eminence is the result of accident, and that every one must be content to remain just what he may happen to be. Thus multitudes, who

Camporeans Preaching.

[Oct.

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A man

sent against the practice of preaching with notes. may be eloquent, who writes his sermons, like Chalmers, or who does not, as was the case with Whitefield. A serious objection may be urged against laying aside altogether the practice of preaching written sermons, but we are convinced. that an immense benefit would arise from the cultivation of extemporaneous eloquence in the way, and under the limitations prescribed in the elegant little treatise before us.

We have already said, that this art is an important one. The preacher, who possesses it, will find the discharge of his duty more easy, and will be likely to be more useful, than the one who does not. Writing out in full all the sermons, which a settled minister is called to preach, is an endless labor; it is a slavery of the mind, to which it cannot be for a long time subjected without being greatly wearied, nor without a very sensible diminution of its acuteness and vigor. This weariness results not merely from the labor of thought, but also from the excessive manual toil, which must be endured by every one who comes often before the people, and yet cannot do it without a written preparation. If it is a fact, therefore, that a person can learn to express himself with propriety and effect in unpremeditated language, the individual, who deprives himself of this power, or rather who fails to attain it, voluntarily subjects himself to more wearisome efforts and a greater burden of toil, than would be required in making this valuable acquisition.

The advocates for extemporaneous preaching do not assert, that it should be attempted without a laborious preparation; they insist on the severest mental discipline. But even after many preparatory efforts, beginners in this exercise must expect sometimes to meet with a discomfiture. A certain sternness of purpose and selfpossession are essential to success, and these are not to be acquired except by repeated exertions in this mode of public speaking. The following remarks by Mr Ware, bearing on this point, are judicious and interesting.

'The history of the world is full of testimony to prove how much depends upon industry; not an eminent orator has lived, but is an example of it. Yet in contradiction to all this, the almost universal feeling appears to be, that industry can effect nothing, that eminence is the result of accident, and that every one must be content to remain just what he may happen to be. Thus multitudes, who

come forward as teachers and guides, suffer themselves to be satisfied with the most indifferent attainments, and a miserable mediocrity, without so much as inquiring how they might rise higher, much less making any attempt to rise. For any other art they would have served an apprenticeship, and would be ashamed to practise it in public before they had learned it. If any one would sing, he attends a master, and is drilled in the very elementary principles; and only after the most laborious process dares to exercise his voice in public. This he does, though he has scarce anything to learn but the mechanical execution of what lies in sensible forms before his eye. But the extempore speaker, who is to invent as well as to utter, to carry on an operation of the mind, as well as to produce sound, enters upon the work without preparatory discipline, and then wonders that he fails! If he were learning to play on the flute for public exhibition, what hours and days would he spend in giving facility to his fingers, and attaining the power of the sweetest and most impressive execution. If he were devoting himself to the organ, what months and years would he labor, that he might know its compass and be master of its keys, and be able to draw out, at will, all its various combinations of harmonious sound, and its full richness and delicacy of expression. And yet he will fancy, that the grandest, the most various, the most expressive of all its instruments, which the infinite Creator has fashioned by the union of an intellectual soul with the powers of speech, may be played upon without study or practice; he comes to it, a mere uninstructed tyro, and thinks to manage all its stops, and command the whole compass of its varied and comprehensive power! He finds himself a bungler in the attempt, is mortified at his failure, and settles in his mind forever, that the attempt is vain.

'Success in every art, whatever may be the natural talent, is always the reward of industry and pains. But the instances are many, of men of the finest natural genius, whose beginning has promised much, but who have degenerated wretchedly as they advanced, because they trusted to their gifts, and made no effort to improve. That there have never been other men of equal endowments with Cicero and Demosthenes, none would venture to suppose; but who have so devoted themselves to their art, or become equal in excellence? If those great men had been content, like others, to continue as they began, and had never made their persevering efforts for improvement, what would their countries have benefited from their genius, or the world have known of their fame? They would have been lost in the undistinguished crowd, that sunk to oblivion around them. Of how many more will the same remark prove true! What encouragement is thus given to the industrious! With such encouragement, how inexcusable is the negligence, which suffers the most interesting and important truths to seem heavy and

dull, and fall ineffectual to the ground, through mere sluggishness in the delivery! How unworthy of one, who performs the high function of a religious instructer, upon whom depend in a great measure, the religious knowledge, and devotional sentiment, and final character of many fellow beings, to imagine, that he can worthily discharge this great concern by occasionally talking for an hour, he knows not how, and in a manner he has taken no pains to render correct, impressive, or attractive; and which, simply through that want of command over himself, which study would give, is immethodical, verbose, inaccurate, feeble, trifling. It has been said of the good preacher,

That truths divine come mended from his tongue.

Alas, they come ruined and worthless from such a man as this. They lose that holy energy by which they are to convert the soul and purify man for heaven, and sink, in interest and efficacy, below the level of those principles, which govern the ordinary affairs of this lower world.'

This extract will give some idea of the sentiments of our author, as they appear in his own chastened and animated style. As no one can probably be found, who will object to the sentiments here advanced, we feel ourselves permitted to say, that as little exception will be taken to the characteristics of this treatise generally. It bears throughout the marks of thought, of candor, of reflection. The perusal of it by any person can hardly fail to have a good effect, to operate as a confirmation of good purposes, and an excitement to greater diligence.

That was an excellent saying of Plato, as transmitted to us by Cicero, Non nobis solum nati sumus, ortusque nostri partem patria vindicat, partem amici. We are not born, we do not live for ourselves alone; our country, our friends, have a share in us. If this maxim is true in a general sense, how much more so when applied to ministers of the Gospel? If there be any persons, who should forget themselves and their own personal interests in their zeal for the general good, it is doubtless this class. The motives, which should operate on them, are high and sacred; such also is the end, at which they profess to aim. It is their great work to correct the wanderings of their fellowmen, to make them wiser, better, holier; and in such a work how reasonable is it to expect, that they should be fervent, laborious, and untiring in their endeavors faithfully to execute their charge.