•s I MANUAL
=1 OF SERMON
Rev, Robei% J, Wardell
"Bv Man
\ STUDIA IN/
THE LIBRARY
of VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
Toronto
A MANUAL
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A MANUAL
OF
BY THE
REV. ROBERT J. WARDELL
SECOND EDITION
ROBERT CULLEY 2, CASTLE ST., CITY RD. ; AND 26, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.
,1
EMMNUa
INTRODUCTION
This little book is neither a treatise on Homiletics, nor an essay on the Art of Preaching.
It contains a series of practical methods, with examples, for the construction of ser mons.
Both methods and examples are elemen tary. They are intended to be so.
The book is meant for the use of young Local Preachers, who have not the advantage of training nor the opportunity for much study.
A sermon should be a complete chain of clear expression, having in it truth, thought, force, and order.
The element dealt with in this Manual is mainly that of order.
Fore-words
Compact and systematic speech in correct words is comprehensible to the most illiterate, and appeals to the most simple.
.
In copying others we are generally struck to an exaggerated degree by some peculiarity, which may be a merit, but is very likely to be a defect.
The greatest merit of a teacher is to secure his own effaceinent.
For effective preaching the assistance of the Holy Spirit is necessary, but that does not excuse us from trying to make ourselves and our sermons worthy instruments.
Every sort of art must have some technique.
N.B.
Every thought is resolvable into parts ; like a ray of light, it is made up of certain constituents — and the better we understand the constituents severally, the better our knowledge of the whole.
Very often a particle or the tense of a verb is a casket of precious thought, and a preacher should cultivate a delicate appreciation for the finer shades of expression so -easily slurred by the average reader.
The mind should be trained to select the projecting emphasis in a sentence, or the theme in a paragraph, and by some method or other harness itself to that emphasis or that theme.
A MANUAL OF
It is by no means necessary, and often undesirable, that a completed sermon should have the exact form of any method. The perfection of any art is to put tools and tool- marks out of sight.
The methods are to be regarded as helpful servants, not as arrogant masters. Their usefulness depends on the amount of personal effort and practice employed.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION
How to Use
Having selected your text, and sought for its real meaning by reading the context, and attending carefully to the individual words in it, you find out to which of the seven kinds of texts mentioned on the next page it belongs.
Then turn to the method or methods indicated by the figures in brackets under each division, and write Out first in short and then in expanded form the outline of a sermon, as your mind directed by the method will dictate.
In cases where more than one method may be used for the same text (and that -is nearly always the case), you must follow this process with each method suggested, and make use of the one that seems most likely to result in the best sermon.
io A MANUAL OF
Kinds of Texts
1. Simple sentences, or sentences containing one verb ; e.g. " God is love."
(Methods, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.)
2. Compound sentences, or sentences con taining more than one verb ; e.g. "God so loved the world," etc.
(Methods, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.)
3. Complex sentences, or sentences in which there is one principal verb and one or more subordinate verbs.
(Methods, 1, 2, 3, 4.)
4. Phrases, or one or more words without a verb ; e.g. " His great love."
(Methods, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.)
5. Paragraphs; e.g. 1 John iv. 7-14.
(Methods, 1, 4, 5, 6.)
6. Subjects or topics ; e.g. " The love of God."
(Methods, 3, 4, 5, 7.)
7. Narratives, either historic or parabolic.
{Methods, 6, 7.)
Any passage, short or long, taken from either Old or New Testament, may be classified under one of these six divisions.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION
List of Methods
1. Analysis by lining out.
Pages 12 and 13.
2. Analysis by questioning.
Pages 14 and 15.
3. Extension.
Pages 16 and 17.
4. Relation.
Pages 18 and 19.
5. Synthesis.
Pages 20 and 21.
6. Deduction.
Pages 22 and 23.
7. Representation.
Pages 24 and 25.
12 A MANUAL OF
Analysis by Lining Out
When the text is a simple sentence,
write each term on a separate line, under lining the most important words ; then make the terms themselves the themes of your sermon.
When the text is a compound or a
complex sentence, write each clause on
a separate line, underlining the principal clause and the most important words, then use the separated clauses as the outline of your sermon.
When the text is a paragraph, underline the chief verbs in the paragraph, and write out the sentences in which they occur on Separate lines. Then arrange the sentences
in the order you think best for your argument, and let them stand in that
Order as the themes of your sermon.
Whenever it is easy so to do, it may be well to state your themes in words other than those of the text itself.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION 13
Examples
I Tim. i. 15 :
1. Christ Jesus, i.e. Son of God and Son of Man.
2. Came, i.e. of His own free will.
3. Into the world, i.e. not on to the earth, but into the heart of the world's misery.
4. To save sinners, i.e. from guilt, power,
and consequences of sin, etc.
• » • • •
John iii. 16 :
1. God loved the world,
2. So that He gave His only-begotten Son,
3. That whosoever believeth in Him,
4. Might not perish,
5. But have everlasting life.
. * • » •
1 John iv. 7-14 :
1. God is love.
2. Herein was the love of God manifest.
3. We Ought also to love one another.
4. If we love one another, God abideth in us.
5. Beloved, let US love one another.
Exercises : — Work out in this way Rom. i. 16 ; Luke xv. 2 ; Heb. i. 2, 3 ; Ps. Ivi. 3, Ixiii. (underlining the verbs follow ing " My soul ") ; 1 Cor. xiii. 13, xv. 3, 4.
14 A MANUAL OF
Analysis by Questioning
By this method you write Out the phrase or sentence or truth you have selected as a text ; then apply to it in the following Order
the questions —
1. What?
2. How?
3. Why?
and write out the answers to these questions that your mind suggests.
If your text belongs to any other section save 1 or 2, be careful to seize either the pro jecting emphasis, or the complete idea, and then apply the interrogatives.
Sometimes it is useful to use other ques tions, such as When ? Where ? etc. ; but as a general rule it is better to adhere to the
O
three stated above, which lead the mind into (i) the Nature, (2) the History, and
(3) the Purpose of the object of thought.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION 15
Examples
2 Cor. v. 15 : " He died for all," etc.
1. What does the word " died " mean ? More than physical dissolution, etc.
2. HOW could He die for all ? Because of what He was.
3. Why did He die for all ?
Because of the grace of God, the worth of man, and that " they which live," etc. (ver. 15).
John xiv. 27 : " My peace I give to you."
1. What does Christ's peace mean ? The peace which He possessed.
Peace with God, with men, with con science, etc.
2. How is Christ's peace obtained ? It is not earned, it is received.
3. Why is Christ's peace necessary ? Because without it all other possessions
are unsatisfactory, etc.
Exercises :—
Work out in this way
Acts xxiv. 16 ; Matt. vii. 13 ; Gal. vi. 17.
1 6 A MANUAL OF
The Method of Extension and Expansion
By this method you first define the thought wrapped up in a sentence or phrase, or a paragraph, etc., and then carry it Out into as many details as may be necessary for your purpose ;
or,
First state your topic, and then describe its
characteristic qualities ; or,
Select and state clearly the truth, and then trace its (l) Source, (2) Essentials, (3) Effects.
In the first case your text may be regarded as a centre from which you carry out lines of thought to the circumference of life and things ; in the second, as a centre round which your thoughts are grouped ; and in the third, as a starting-point from which your thought travels first back, and then round, and then forward.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION
Examples
Job xxxvi. 5 : " Behold, G-od is mighty, and despiseth not any."
First discover and define the particular aspect of God's mightiness indicated, then Carry OUt the thought as follows :—
He despiseth not any Thing.
„ Creature. ,, ,, ,, ,, JJeea.
,, ., . ,, V711L.
,, ,, ,, „ Man, however sinful,
etc.
Topic: "The love of God."
Speak round about your subject like this—
The Universality of the love. The Eternity of the love.
The Freeness of the love.
The Individuality of the love.
The Working of the love. etc. Exercises :—
Work out in this way
Acts i. 8 ; " Faith " ; " Grace " ; " Sin " ; Matt. vi. 33.
1 8 A MANUAL OF
The Method of Relation
The word " relation " has more than one shade of meaning.
In one sense it is equivalent to "the act of telling."
In another it implies "a connection per ceived or imagined between things."
It is used in both senses here.
The process of the method consists in, first
reciting the essential elements of the
truth contained in your text, and then pro ceeding to bring it into relation with the
separate parts of the various heads under which things seen and unseen are generally arranged.
Such phrases as "in relation to," "there is a lesson for," etc., furnish the keys to this method.
Samples of categories or heads are : — God, Others, Self ; Body, Mind, Spirit ; Race, Nation, Class, Individual ; The questions of the day, etc.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION 19
Examples
Ex. xx. 15 :" Thou shalt not steal." Essential elements : a commandment from God, etc.
Consider this commandment
1. In relation to the question of
Capital and Labour ;
2. In relation to the question of
Commercial Morality ;
3. In relation to Individual Conduct
towards God and towards Man.
Luke xiii. 6-9 : The parable of the Barren Fig Tree.
1. In relation to those to whom it was
spoken ;
2. In relation to the Jewish nation ;
3. In relation to modern nations ;
4. In its personal bearings.
• « • • •
Exercises : —
Work out in this way
Matt. vii. 12; Matt, xviii. 8a ; Gal. vi. 7; 2 Cor. ix. 6.
20 A MANUAL OF
The Method of Synthesis
The word " synthesis " denotes a process which is the exact opposite of analysis.
By analysis we separate a whole into its parts ; by synthesis we combine a number of separate parts into a whole.
There are two ways of using this method. First : You select a number of passages
from different parts of Scripture relating to same subject, and arrange them in the order that seems best suited to your general purpose.
Then state each passage in words Other than those used in the text, and use these
Statements as the divisions of your sermon.
Second : You take one passage from Scripture, and proceed step by step with an
argument which leads back to your text
as its natural conclusion.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION 21
Examples
John vi. 35 : "I am the bread of life."
„ viii. 12 : " I am the light of the world."
„ x. 11 : "I am the good Shepherd."
„ xi. 25 : "I am the Kesurrection," etc.
Or, Christ Jesus
1. The Sustainer,
2. The Guide,
3. The Protector,
4. The Perfecter,
of the spiritual life.
1 Pet. ii. 21 : " Leaving us an example," etc.
1. Man must have an ideal.
2. Moral Goodness is the highest of all ideals.
3. In Jesus we have
a. The loftiest example of moral good ness,
6. The strongest incentive to moral goodness ;
Therefore "Ye should follow in His steps."
* • . • • •
Exercises :—
Work out in this way
(1 John i. 5 ; John viii. 12 ; Matt. v. 14 ;) Eccles. iii. 11; 1 Cor. i. 24 6.
A MANUAL OF
The Method of Deduction
In logic the word "deduction" means that process by which from two statements we deduce a third ; but in this case it is used to denote the mental process by which from a given proposition we make other propositions out of its terms.
Two or more propositions may be selected from different parts of Scripture, and treated in the same way as one text.
Instead of harnessing the mind to the text by means of the words What ? How ? Why ? etc., you do so by means of the word " There fore," and write out as many consequences as your mind dictates ; then, having selected those that seem most consistent with your text, make them the divisions of your sermon.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION 93
Examples
Rom. xiv. 7 ; " For none of us liveth to himself."
Therefore : 1. No man is an isolated unit.
Therefore : 2. Others have their share of right in what a man has and is.
Therefore : 3. Every man is in some measure indebted to others.
Therefore : 4. Every man's life should be controlled by the fact of relation.
John v. 30 : "I can of Mine own self do nothing."
John xv. 5 : " Without Me ye can do nothing."
Phil. iv. 13 : "I can do all things through Christ."
Therefore : 1. Apart from the Father, Christ Plimself could not achieve good.
Therefore : 2. Without Christ, His disciples cannot achieve any good.
Therefore : 3. The power that Christ had from the Father He communicates to His disciples.
Exercises :—
Work out in the same way
John i. 2-4 ; 1 John ii. 17 ; Matt. xxiv. 35.
*4 A MANUAL OF
The Method of Representation
This method is the most difficult of all to follow successfully.
It consists in describing a scene, sketching a character, or painting a word-picture of a miracle or parable, etc., in your own words, and
requiresboth great sMll and much practice.
Having selected your narrative, no matter what the subject, it is necessary—
First : To imbue your mind with its spirit by patient attention to the associations, the incidents, and the essentials of the narrative.
Second : To observe three rules in your
sermon : — n. Omission. — Neglecting all minute
and unnecessary details, fr. Emphasis. — Laying stress only on
the points on which you wish to
fix attention. c. Proportion. — Taking care that the
description does not occupy the
time that should be given to the
points.
» • • • *
Work out your points with the aid of such terms as, " It illustrates," " It is a picture of," etc.
SERMON CONSTRUCTION 25
It is almost impossible to illustrate this method, save by writing practically the whole of a sermon ; but take this : —
Luke xix. 1-10.
The place, the incidents, the crowd, the man seeking for Jesus.
Jesus seeking, finding, abiding with the man.
The story illustrates —
1. The lost : Zacchseus had gone morally wrong.
In that respect like all men.
2. Jesus seeking the lost. Unexpectedly, successfully, etc.
3. Jesus saving the lost : —
a. The power which saved the man, viz. : The influence of Jesus abid ing with him.
6. The method of its operation, viz. : Putting him right just where he was wrong, etc.
Exercises :—
Work out in this way
Any paragraph containing a narrative of an event, a miracle, a parable, etc., in either Old or New Testament.
26 A MANUAL OF SERMON CONSTRUCTION
The Introduction to a sermon is meant to secure attention. It should always be short, striking, and attractive. It may be a survey of <the sermon about to be preached, or it may be suggested by the Setting of the text.
The Conclusion of a sermon should be a recapitulation and reinforcement of the truths considered in the sermon.
The Application of a sermon should be continuous. It may be concrete or in
"solution," direct or indirect, but must
never be personal.
The term " personal " means in this connec tion words directed against some individual in a disparaging manner.
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