In order to compose an exordium, after you have well considered the senses of the text, and observed what are the principal matters which ought to enter into the discussion, and after you have made the division, endeavour to reduce the whole to one common idea, and then choose some other idea, naturally connected with that common idea, either immediately, or by means of another. If it be immediately connected with the subject, endeavour to reduce it to one proposition, which may be cleared and proved as you go on; or if it have parts, which require separate explications and proofs, it must be managed so as to include them; and, finally, by the natural connection of that proposition with the discussion, enter into the text. If the proposition be connected with the text only remotely, then establish the first, pass on to the second, and so proceed from the second to the text. Exordiums may be taken from almost all the same topics as observations; that is, from genus, species, contraries, &c.; for there are but few good exordiums which might not go into the discussion, and which besides are clear, agreeable, and entertaining. A comparison may sometimes be employed in an exordium, but not often; nor must trivial comparisons be used which all the world know, or which are taken from any thing mean; nor must they be embarrassing, taken from things unknown to the people, as those are which are borrowed from mechanics, astronomy, &c. of which the people know nothing at all. Bible-history may be used, but sparingly, and the application must be always just, agreeable, and, in some sort, new and remarkable. Types may also be employed; but with the same precautions, always consulting good sense and taste. The best method is to compose several exordiums for the same text, by turning your imagination divers ways, by taking it in all its different relations, for by such means you may choose the most proper; but after all these general precepts, which indeed ought to be known, and by which exordiums must be regulated, it is certain the invention and composition of an exordium can become easy only by practice. A young preacher ought not to complain of trouble, nor to be any way negligent in the matter, for he may be sure of succeeding by attention and application. § 34. Of the conclusion*. The conclusion ought to be lively and animating, full of great and beautiful figures, aiming to move Christian affections; as the love of God, hope, zeal, repentance, self-condemnation, a desire of selfcorrection, consolation, admiration of eternal benefits, hope of felicity, courage and constancy in afflictions, steadiness in temptations, gratitude to God, recourse to him by prayer, and other such dispositions. † Conclusion. This, in a sermon, answers to what in an oration is called The Peroration. It recapitulates, or sums up the strongest and chief arguments, and, by moving the passions, endeavours to persuade the hearers to yield to the force of them. Arist. Rhet. The fire of the preacher should blaze here, he should collect the ideas of his whole sermon into this part, as rays are collected in the focus of a burning-glass, and inflame the hearts of his auditors. Robinson. Let the peroration or conclusion be short; let it be bold and lively; and let some one or more striking ideas, not mentioned before in the discussion, be reserved for this part, and let it be applied with vigour. Bucholtzer used to say "A good preacher was known by his conclusion." He frequently concluded his discourse with some such sentence as the following: "Here, my brethren, I stop, and I leave the Holy Spirit to preach to you. Now, Christians, I have done my part. May the Lord condescend to do his in your hearts!~ I have planted, and watered. May God give the increase! I have been preaching to you, and setting before you the gospel of salvation. May the Lord God apply it to your hearts, for his glory, and for your eternal felicity! May the Lord set home to your hearts what I have been preaching! For my part, I am only his messenger to you. He is the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." Keckermanni Rhet. Eccl. The publisher of Massillon's Sermons describes, in the preface, the bishop's method of preaching, by saying, That what formed the distinct character of Father Massillon's eloquence was, that all his strokes aimed directly at the heart; so that what was simply reason and proof in others, was feeling in his mouth. Hence the remarkable effects of his instructions:-nobody, after hearing him, stopped to praise or criticise his sermon. Each auditor retired in a pensive silence, with a thoughtful air, downcast eyes, and composed countenance, carrying away the arrow fastened in his heart. When There are three sorts of dispositions or emotions, the violent, the tender, and the elevated. The violent are, for example, indignation, fear, zeal, courage, firmness against temptations, repentance, self-loathing t, &c. The tender emotions are joy, consolation, gratitude, - tender subjects' are pardon, pity, prayer, &c. The elevated are admira Massillon had preached his first Advent at Versailles, Lewis the Sixteenth said these remarkable words to him: -" Father, I have heard many fine orators in my chapel, and have been very much pleased with them; but, as for you, always when I › have heard you, I have been very much displeased with myself."Serm. de Massil, pet. car. pref. + Example of the violent may be seen in Saurin's Sermons, vol. i. Serm. 9. Eng. "On the Severity of God." Tender conclusion. Example of a tender conclusion, from a sermon of Bp. Massillon to his elergy:—“ And, indeed, my brethren, can a pastordive either without prayer,— or can he pray but seldom, ➡or can he pray without fervour and zeal,- or can he confine all his prayers to a cold, inattentive, and hasty rehearsal of his breviary, while he passes his life among his parishioners, and sees the greatest part of them lying in sin, and perishing every day before his eyes? When the high priest Aaron saw a part of his people smitten by the hand of God, and expiring before him, he ran between the dead and the living, he lifted his bands to Heaven, he wept for the misery of such as fell before his eyes, he cried, he wrestled, and his prayer was heard, the plague was stopped, and the sword of God's anger retired! A good pastor never prays for his people in vain. "And Aaron stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed." -- - This, my brethren, is the image of a good pastor. Amongst his people, as I may say, he walks between the dead and the living. He sees by his side some of his flock dead, and others ready to expire, having only some flattering signs of life. He sees the invisible sword of God's wrath hang over these people; he sees reigning crimes and hastering death. All this be beholds, and it is a spectacle which he has every day before his eyes. If he is not affected with this, he is not a pastor, he is a mercenary wretch, who sees in cold blood the destruction of his flock. He is either a minister fallen from the grace of the priesthood, or one who has never received it; but if this affects him, ah! what must the first motion of his grief tion of the majesty of God, the ways of Providence, the glory of Paradise, the expectation of benefits, &c. mans: * There are some Christian passions which may be excited either by a tender or violent method. Repentance is of this kind, and firmness against temptations; for in each, tender motives may be used as well as violent. St. Paul uses mixed motives at the end of the eighth of Ro"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things; we are more than conquerors through him that loved us! For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the Jove of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” † - and zeal be? He will address himself to God, who wounds and heals, he will open to him secret tears of grief and love to his people, he will remind an angry God of his ancient mercies, he will move his paternal heart by his sighs, and offer himself to be accursed (Rom. ix. 3.) for his brethren. "Aaron stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed." No, my brethren, a priest, a pastor who does not pray, who does not love prayer, does not belong to that church which prays without ceasing. He is not united to the Spirit of prayer and love; he is a dry and barren tree, which cumbers the Lord's ground ; — he is the enemy, and not the father of his people; he is a stranger, who has usurped the pastor's place, and to whom the salvation of the flock is indifferent. Where fore, my brethren, be faithful to prayer, and your functions will be more useful, your people more holy, your labours will seem much sweeter, and the church's evils will diminish. Mass. Disc. Synod. tom. ii. disc. 10. * Elevated conclusion. See an example of an elevated conclusion, Saurin. vol. iii. Serm. 1. Eng. + Conclusion may be mixed. Example of a mixed conclusion from Massillon. The annihilation of the soul is the last resource of impiety; but what punishment would it be for a wicked man to be no more? He wishes for annihilation, and® proposes it as his highest hope. He lives tranquil in the midst A conclusion should be diversified. I mean, we should not be content to move one single Christian passion; many of his pleasures in this agreeable expectation:-What, will the just God punish a sinner by giving him what he desires? Ah! it is not thus that God punishes; for what can the wicked find so very bad in annihilation? Would it be the privation of God? But a wicked man does not love him, he does not know him, he will not know him, for his god is himself. Would it be annihilation? But what more pleasing to such a monster, who knows that if he lives after death, it is only to suffer, and expiate the horrors of an abominable life. Would it be the loss of worldly pleasures, and of all the objects of his passions? But when he ceases to be, he must cease to love. Imagine if you can a more desirable lot for the wicked, and shall this after all be the sweet end of his debaucheries, horrors, and blasphemics! No, my brethren, the hope of the wicked shall perish; but his crimes shall not perish with him. His torments will be as endless as his pleasures would have been, if he had been master of his fate. He would fain perpetuate upon earth his sensual pleasures; death limits his crimes, but does not limit his criminal desires. The just Judge, who searches the heart, will proportion then the suffering to the offence; immortal flames for intentionally immortal pleasures, and eternity itself will only be a just compensation, and an equality of punishment. "These shall go away into everlasting punishment. " What is the conclusion of this discourse? That a wicked man is to be pitied for placing his highest hope in a frightful uncertainty about revealed truths. He is to be pitied, in that he is not able to live peaceably, unless he lives without faith, without worship,without God, without hope;-that he is to be pitied if the gospel must be a fable, the faith of all ages credulity, the consent of all men a popular error; the first principles of nature and reason childish prejudices; the blood of so many martyrs, whom the hope of a futurity supported in torments, a concerted scheme to deceive mankind; the conversion of the universe a human enterprize; the accomplishment of prophecies a lucky hit. In one word, if all that is best established in the universe must be found false, so that he may not be eternally miserable. What madness to be able to contrive a kind of tranquillity made up of so many foolish suppo sitions? O man! I will shew yon a more excellent way. Fear this futurity which you force yourself to doubt. Ask us no more |