The choice of text.
§ 1
The preaching of the divine word is based on a passage of the Holy Scripture, and this passage is called the text of the sermon.
Note 1
The habit of preaching on shorter biblical passages is not based on divine order, but it is sanctified by the Lord Himself, as we can see in Luc. 4, 16 ff. Most of the time, the Lord did not base His sermons on a text, but linked them to external circumstances, as John 4:6 -15; 6:24-58; Luke 13:1 -5; Matthew 11:12-15 show; or the need of the present audience gave Him reason to choose His subject, as Luke 7:36-50; 8:4-18 and many others show. We see the same in the apostles (cf. Apost. 2, 14 ff; 17, 22 -32; 24, 24 -26). Also in the first centuries of the Christian church, mostly textless sermons were held. However, they more or less followed the scriptural passages read in the assembly according to the Old Testament example (cf. Luc. 4, 16, 17). Justinus Martyr writes in his 2nd Apology: "On Sundays the assemblies take place and the commentaries of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read; when then the reader (lector) is silent, the chairman holds a speech in which he instructs the people and admonishes them to follow such beautiful things.
Luther, too, delivered sermons partly without text. When he left Wartburg Castle in 1522 against the will of his elector and appeared in Wittenberg to dampen the turmoil caused by Carlstadt and O. Didymus, he gave the well -known powerful sermons from March 9-16. Didymus, he delivered the well-known powerful sermons from March 9 -16, without basing them on biblical texts. There is also a sermon without text on the Ev. on the Sunday Trinit. by him. Also known are the textless sermons of Joh. Matthesius on Luther's life. However, the custom of basing the sermon on a biblical text goes back to the first centuries of the Christian church. When Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea († 379), wanted to encourage his congregation to sincere repentance, so that the threatening judgment of God might be averted, he preached on the text Amos 3, 8:
"The lion roars, who should not fear? The Lord speaks, who should not prophesy?" When John Chrysostom ( † 407) had to go into exile, he based his sermon on the words of Job 1:21: "The Lord has given," etc. Especially the fathers of the ancient church used to base their sermons on the high feast days on appropriate texts. (For more details on this subject, see A. Nebe: "Die Evangelischen Perikopen des Kirchenjahres", Wiesb. 1886).
Note 2
The divine sermon (1 Thess. 2, 13) is to be based on a passage of the divine word; not in such a way that the sermon rests on this text like a building on its foundation, but that the material for the sermon is taken from the text as much as possible and the sermon is built up from its content. If the unity of the truths given in the text is expressed in the theme, which should always be the case, then the necessity of a certain text is already given. And since the Holy Scriptures are perfect, i.e., contain everything that is necessary for faith and walk, suitable texts are also available for every subject about which a preacher has to instruct his listeners. It is not a lack of suitable texts, but a lack of knowledge of them that often makes the choice of text difficu lt. Even every casual speech should have a specific scriptural text. It is not valid to object that because the casual speech, in contrast to the sermon, "places the casuelle, personal more in the foreground," "the casus or the fact as a deed of God gives here, as it were, the most specific real text to be illuminated from the word of God in general," for in every casual speech it is not the "casuelle," "personal," but the word of God, or divine truth, that should be in the foreground.
If Cl. Harms, who als o delivered a textless sermon on the topic: "That all sinners are fools", wanted to justify textless sermons by saying: "It (the sermon) should not so much explain the Scriptures, but transfigure them, as the Spirit does Christ, Jn. 16, and not carry the text as a rope around the feet, but as a staff in the hand", it may only be replied that the transfiguration of the Scriptures cannot happen by anything else than by right explanation of the same. Of course, Harms wanted to let this happen only exceptionally. The preacher is the messenger of God to his congregation and as such has to convey a message of his God to them in every sermon or speech. As such, however, he can prove himself to the congregation each time and his sermon as a divine message to them only by placing a word of God under it and treating it as such. This also gives his listeners the guarantee that they will not hear the thoughts and ideas of a man, the wisdom of the world, etc., but divine truth and wisdom; makes them willing to listen and to receive the sermon, but also shuts their mouths when truths are preached that are not pleasing to the flesh and arouse the opposition of the malicious. Thus a simple -minded Christian said to a preacher: "If you didn't always come with the Bible and say: H ere and there it is written, you wouldn't be here for a long time!" This is true, of course, only if the preacher sticks to his text, interprets it and applies the truths it contains to the listeners.
On the other hand, the text itself offers the preacher no small advantages; it gives him the material for the sermon, leads him more and more into the Scriptures and yet also restricts him again. As far as the first is concerned, the words of Hüffel are fully correct: "One need only open the Bible when one is at a loss for material, and one will now be at a loss as to what one should first take from the available abundance." This is all the more true because there should not be two texts in the Holy Scriptures which are completely alike. They may contain the sa me doctrine, even the same point of doctrine (compare Rom. 3, 28 with Eph. 2, 8. 9.), but they are not completely the same. The point of view, the context, some addition, often a single word, gives each text its peculiar character, by which it differs from the other, perhaps very similar. Just as among the millions of people there are not two that look quite alike, so also not among the texts of the holy Scriptures. Thus, with every new text, the preacher always has, so to speak, new material, if he only takes the trouble to recognize the peculiarity of his text; he can then never "preach himself out. Those who "preach themselves out" have not infrequently brought this on themselves through their own inertia.
But the careful study of the text also introduces the preacher more and more to the sacred Scriptures. Even if the text is short, it contains divine truth. And if now the text is also sharply examined according to its context, compared with parallel passages, etc., the preacher does not just taste someth ing of the water of life gushing out of it, but he dives into it. under the same. The more he has read, immersed and lived in the Scriptures, the more he will preach according to the Scriptures. But at the same time the text restricts him, forces him to stick to the matter or, as one says, to the stick. He has only to interpret the text; for even the parallel passages drawn or what is brought from elsewhere may only serve this purpose, in other words: he has to clarify, prove and substantiate the unity of the truths given in the text, as expressed in the theme. Thus, the text draws the boundaries within which he has to keep and move with the sermon, so that he does not get from the hundredth to the thousandth or, as Luther calls it, "into the wash. From this follows the necessary demand: no sermons without text, but only sermons with text. "The text should be the guiding star for the preacher," Goebel says in his Methodol. Homil, "the guiding star according to which he must direct the cou rse of his sermon; the source from which he must draw his proofs; the foundation on which the whole treatment must rest; the barriers which must control the not uncommon desire to digress; indeed the soul which must animate the whole sermon. The more zealo usly an ecclesiastical preacher adheres to the text and extracts its riches, the better and more praiseworthy, let him know, he has administered his office." Father Bauer writes in his "Grundzügen der Homil.": "It is not enough that the preacher only now a nd then draws similar thoughts from the holy Scriptures to support his thoughts, but the whole sermon must be based on a biblical saying, appear as its outflow. It is one of the essential requirements of a sermon that the preacher base it on a certain text, that he, in order to assure the congregation of its correctness, reads it out with an exact designation of its place in the holy scriptures, that he expressly declares that he wants to base his lecture on it, and that he finally also does this conscientiously. Only in this way can the congregation be assured that it is not human wisdom but God's Word that is being offered. Daily experience teaches that the use of the text as a basis is often only an apparent one, and by no means contains an absolute necessity to preach biblically and Christianly. But it is just as certain that the text at least tells every preacher what he should preach, and that it essentially supports those who have the good will to preach biblically and Christianly in this endeavor." - Spurgeon:
"Let the preaching matter be abundant, and grow out of the inspired word, out of the ipsissimis verbis used by the Holy Spirit, as the violets and primroses naturally grow out of the ground, or as honey flowing from the pane." - Finally, L. Osiander writes: "It is with careful consideration It is a very old and praiseworthy custom in the Church of God that the preachers read a biblical text before the beginning of their sermon, which they undertake to explain, so that by a skilful and healthy interpretation of it the listeners may be instruct ed in those things which have their salvation as their goal, the erring and sinning may be brought back to the right path, the weak and the arrogant may be raised up, and those who are sluggish in good works may be driven to the same. When Christ read a biblical text from Isaiah in the synagogue of his hometown Nazareth (as Lucas reports in chapter 4), he immediately began to interpret it. For everything that is presented to the audience must be based on a text of Scripture, as on the very firmest basis or unshakable foundation. And indeed, those teachings, exhortations, punishments and consolations should be derived from the text itself, after the correct interpretation of it has been done. For everything that does not belong to the passage of Scripture which is read aloud has the appearance of being said in the wrong place and is prompted more by a mood than by the teacher's fidelity to duty."
Note 3
When our paragraph says that the sermon is to be based on a passage of sacred Scripture, this of course refers only to the canonical books of sacred Scripture. To preach on a text from the Apocrypha is absolutely inadvisable. It is true that this was done many times in the 17th and 18th centuries, even by acknowledged faithful Lutheran theologians, but the apoc ryphal books are human writings and therefore deserve no higher esteem than the writings of other men, and one does them too much honor if one uses them as a basis for divine preaching. If a preacher chooses an apocryphal text, he is not to treat the truths taken from it as divine in themselves, but to prove them true first with sayings from the canonical books; so why not take a divine word as a basis?
The same is true of other human writings or words of even the most devout and orthodox theologians. If, f or example, Spener preached a series of sermons on the first three books of J. Arndt's "Wahres Christenthum," this may be excused to some extent by the direction and taste of his time; it is not to be approved. We remember hearing a sermon at the Reformation on the words of Luther: "Here I stand, I can do no other; God help me, Amen!" and confess that it was unpleasantly touching. The preacher would have been wrong for his The text of the Bible can be found very easily in the execution of the text. Let us let
L. Osiander speak about this. He writes: "But one should select from a canonical
scripture those texts which one wants to interpret before the assembled congregation. For although the apocryphal writings of the Old and New Testaments contain many very wholesome teachings, the same are found more abundantly in the canonical books of Scripture. What, then, is the purpose of attempting to explain a book or a saying of a scripture whose reputation is doubted, while the same thing can be explained from those books which have been in undoubted reputation since the times of the apostles? But yet I would not condemn it as a sin if someone were to read a passage from an apocryphal writing in order to explain it; I only want to remind you which procedure is the safest and, at least in my opinion, would be the safest." (De ratione concionandi.)
§ 2
The texts are either prescribed by the church or freely chosen by the preacher. Among the prescribed texts, the so-called "pericopes" for Sundays and feast days, both evangelical and epistolary, occupy a prominent place.
Note 1
Already in the church of the Old Testament the reading of the Scriptures was a main part of the Jewish worship (cf. Acts 13, 14. 15; 15, 21; Luc. 16-21), for which in larger synagogues a special lector was employed. For this purpose, the five books of Moses were divided into the so -called "parashas" and the prophets into the "haftars", that is, into certain sections, which were read aloud in the congregation on the Sabbath days. For the feast days there were also special lessons taken from the Scriptures. For example, the Song of Songs was read at Easter, and Ecclesiastes was read at the Feast of Tabernacles. This process was soon followed by the church of the New Testament, which elevated the reading of the holy scriptures (ανάγνωσή, lectio, 1. Timoth. 4, 13) to an essential part of the public worship. (See the saying of Justinus M. under § 1, note 1.) At first passages were read not only from the Old and New Testaments, but also from the Apocrypha and biographies of the saints and martyrs, but in the fourth century only l essons from the canonical books were admitted. Originally, these lessons were freely chosen, as seems to be evident from the words of Tertullian:
"We come together to recall the divine scriptures when the nature of the present times causes us either to indicate something in advance or to recall it. Later, however, for the annual festivals and other cycles, a special selection of certain books or pieces was made, different ones in the individual churches. Already at the end of the fourth century, a regulated practice for the festival lessons had become common in some places. Collections of such lessons, however, are found only around the middle of the fifth century in Gaul, and among them as the oldest the so-called Lectionarium Gallicanum. (For more details, see Nebe: "Die Evangel. Perikopen" etc.).
G. Bauer writes: "Already at the time of Augustine ( † 431) at least certain
biblical passages had become so exclusive for the feast days that the congregation did not like to miss them; moreover, many pericopes betray by their favoring of the miracle stories the striving to emphasize the divinity of Christ in a quite definite way, according to which their selection seems to belong to the time of the Arian disputes. The collection, which became common in the Roman Church in the sixth century, was transferred to the Frankish Church in the eighth century by Carl the Great and, with minor multiplications, especially by Paul Warnefried's Homiliarium, attained almost universal ecclesiastical validity in the Occident." As far as the origin of our system of pericopes is concerned, it can undoubtedly be placed in the se cond half of the fourth century, and the presbyter Jerome Stridonensis († 420) is to be regarded as its author. It should be a companion for the clergy, therefore called Comes, but for the laity a small Bible, which contained the core and star of the same. This "Comes" of Jerome was introduced into the churches of the city and the province by the Roman bishop Damasus, the friend and patron of Jerome. Although others arose after this system of pericopes, Jerome's became more and more widespread, and Carl the Great introduced it for exclusive use in his kingdom. At the same time, he had Paul Warnefried, deacon at Aquileia, whom he held in high esteem, produce a postilla on the scriptural passages contained in it from the sermons of the older church fathers, which was published with a preface by Carl the Great under the title " Homiliarium Caroli ". Probably this collection of sermons on the Gospels and Epistles was the first "Postille". *) *The name "Postilla" seems to have originated from the words: "post illa verba". Because the reading of the "pericopes" was immediately followed by the explanation of the same, which therefore followed "after those words" (post illa verba), the collection of sermons compiled for the explanation of the "pericopes" was called "postilla" for short.
This pericope system was already criticized by Zwingli and Calvin. They found all kinds of deficiencies in it. It was abolished by the Dortrecht Synod (1618-19), but retained by a part of the German Reformed and the English High Church. Luther remained true to his conservative principles. Although he also had to make individual expositions, he did not fail to recognize the great advantages of this pericope system. Luther's criticism of the pericopes in general was that the doctrine of grace and justification took too much of a back seat to sanctification, and that some of them were taken out of context: Exhibitions which, however, are not unfounded. He remarks: "He who ordered them was an unlearned and superstitious admirer of the works"; but that he appreciated their advantages is shown by the fact that one of his first and best works is the interpretation of the pericopes (church postilion). - The advantages that these pericopes have can be summarized in the following points:
1. they control the arbitrariness of immature preachers or even preachers
inclined to false doctrine in the selection of texts. 2 Because they return again and again, the simple can best learn the unknown from them, as the known.
3. they prevent the preachers when they are inclined to preach about favorite
doctrines.
4. the many excellent postils on the pericopes prove to be excellent aids,
especially for younger and weaker preachers, for the elaboration of their sermons, and for the laity not only as edification books, but also as testimonies of pure doctrine, according to which they can test the doctrine that is preached to them. Luther writes: "If spiritual understanding and the Spirit itself do not speak through the preachers (whom I do not want to aim at here, the Spirit teaches to speak much better than all the postils and homilies), then it will finally come to pass that an individual will preach what he wants, and instead of the Gospel and its interpretation, blue ducks will preach again. For this too is one of the causes, that we keep the epistles and gospels as they are arranged in the postilions, so that there is little to be found in the way of witty preachers, who might act a whole gospel or other book powerfully and usefully." (B. 22, p. 238 f.)
L. Osiander writes in more detail:
In some churches it is customary that the so -called Sunday Gospels are interpreted in the main or early sermon on Sundays and feast days every year. This custom should be discontinued if the listeners are not sufficiently discerning. and simple -minded people, not without good reason. For what recurs and is repeated every year is more deeply imprinted on the memory and remains more firmly seated; although I do not deny that the ancients could have achieved a greater benefit if they had sometimes made a more fortunate selection in sorting out those pericopes. - And especially at the most distinguished feasts, as there are: The feast of the Nativity, the feast of the Circumcision, the feast of the Annunciation, the feast of Easter, the feast of the Ascension, the feast of Pentecost, the feast of Trinity, it is well to repeat and inculcate the principal st ories and doctrines of such great things every year, so that the same, placed as it were in a higher place, may attract the more attention and penetrate the more deeply into the hearts of the people. And those who, at such festivals, where the main article s of the Christian religion are usually treated, present to the congregation quite different and remote objects, have either lost all sensible taste, or as a rule they raise a monster, which once breaks out to the detriment of the church. But where either the people or the listeners are of such a nature that the pastor of the congregation is free to expound any connected or continuous biblical text in the sermon, then I would advise that on holidays he choose one of the four evangelists, but on weekdays either an apostolic letter or the Acts of the Apostles, or from the Old Testament a historical book or a prophet, according to the capacity of his listeners. In the selection of a scripture (whether of the New Testament or of the Old Testament), the minister of the church must diligently take care of the circumstances of the time and of the people, so that everything is directed to instructing, improving, and comforting the church, and that he takes the greatest care to bring out from the scripture that remedy which his hearers seem to need most.
But the preacher should not be so bound to a certain biblical book, which he has undertaken to expound, that he would not be at liberty (in the case of some emergency arising, or if the hope of an extraordinary blessin g speaks in favor of it) to set aside the usual text according to the circumstances and to take up another subject of Scripture. And here the Psalms of David are the most appropriate, which contain various subjects, some of which instruct the church in a s imple way, some of which encourage it, some of which comfort it, some of which present the most exquisite ways of fervent supplication, some of which are the most beautiful examples of praising God.
and to praise Him. From the prophetic writings, however, can be taken (besides the sweetest consolations) also the most serious sermons of repentance and severe punishments of sin, which prevail in the world today. But let the deviation from the ordinary text (as I said above) happen only when there is an emergency, or when one hopes to obtain an entirely different blessing by it."
§ 3
The choice of free texts is conditioned by the scopus (aim or purpose) which the preacher has in mind, often also by external circumstances.
Note 1
If one wishes to preach on free texts, it is advisable to draw up in advance a definite plan according to which the selection of the texts is to be made, so that this does not degenerate into a disorderly reaching back and forth. For example, if one decides to preach on the most important and instructive passages, such as the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, one can either follow the order given in the sacred Scriptures themselves, or make the selection of texts in such a way that they are as much in harmony with the church year as possible. Or, if the main doctrines of Scripture are to be considered on the basis of free texts, it is advisable to draw up beforehand a scheme for the whole ecclesiastical year, according to which the doctrine to be treated on each Sunday and feast day is to be determined and the choice of text made accordingly.
Note 2
In sermons on free texts, the preacher must, of course, have determined the doctrine or the subject matter *) on which he wants to preach before he chooses a text. The text to be chosen, however, must really contain the subject to be treate d, because otherwise the sermon cannot be in accordance with the text and cannot be developed from it. Take, for example, sermons on repentance. Their purpose, as their name indicates, is to call the listeners to repentance. In order to achieve this purpose, one can preach about the beginning of repentance, namely about the recognition of sin (text: Ps. 51, 5); about spiritual sadness or repentan ce (text: 2 Corinth. 7, 10);
about faith (text: 2 Corinth. 7, 10). *Note: the subject, not the topic, which expresses the subject to be treated in a certain form. The formulation of the theme should always be done after the choice of the text, because it must be strictly in accordance with the text, that is, the nature of the text must be kept in mind as a norm for the formulation of the theme. If this is neglected, the text is not both the source, but rather only the motto of the sermon. (Text: Apost. 16, 30. 31); about the confession of sin (Text: Ps. 32, 5; Proverbs 28, 13); about the prayer of the penitent (Luc. 18, 13); about the necessity of repentance (Jer. 3, 12); about the fruits of repentance (Text: Matth. 4, 8; Ps. 51, 15); about the characteristics of repentance (text: Luc. 18, 13); about the causes (Apost. 3, 18. 19);
about the obstacles of repentance (text: Apost. 8, 18. 23); about false repentance (Hos. 7, 16). Depending on which of these topics is to be presented, the text corresponding to it must be chosen.
Note 3
Often the circumstances of the time determine the subject of the sermon and thus the choice of text. For example, a sermon on repentance around Christmas time could be based on the text Jer. 31, 22, or 1. Joh. 3, 8; at Easter on the text Ephes. 5, 14, at Pentecost on Apost. 2, 38. It would then have to be explained how the grace revealed by God at these feasts is the motivation for sincere repentance. The apostle Rom. 13, 11. 12 points out that the time in which the Christians were living in Rome was an invitation to them to be serious about sanctification. Cf. Ephesians 5, 15 ff.
Note 4
What has been said about sermons of repentance generally also applies to wedding sermons or marriage sermons. The purpose of these is to present the marriage state as a divine order and to exhort people to begin and lead it according to God's will. However, one should beware of sermons on marriage with too general a content, because not only would the purpose not be achieved, but the preacher (especially if he has many to preach) would also soon preach himself out. Therefore, sermons or speeches of more spe cific content are to be given, namely: about the institution of marriage (text: Gen. 2, 18. 21 ff; Matth. 19, 4 -6); the indissolubility of marriage (text: Matth. 19, 6); holiness (text: Hebr. 13, 4); the duties, (as love, patience, etc.). (Eph. 5,25 ff); the cross, the blessing (Ps. 128); and so on.
Note 5
Particular care should be taken in the choice of texts for funeral sermons. It is precisely in these that the preacher has the opportunity to get to the heart of his listeners through teaching, text and exhortation. What a serious lesson lies, for example, in sudden deaths; what an opportunity the preacher has there to stir up the secure. In especially sad deaths, when the father has died and a large family is When the mother has been torn out of a crowd of small children; when the only son or daughter has died; when several children have died at the same time or shortly after each other: then the floodgates of consolation must be opened; and God's fountain has water (of consolation) "in abundance". The springs of consolation are there, the preacher must only seek them out, open them and let them flow. But these sources are the individual sayings of the holy scriptures, which must therefore be chosen, interpreted correctly and applied to the case, so that the consolation contained in them overflows into the hearts of those who suffer. In the case of more ordinary deaths, on the other hand, more general texts should be chosen, because the preacher cannot always be specific about them without repeating himself, especially if he has to deliver many funeral orations. The rule for the choice of texts for funeral sermons is: the content of the text must correspond as closely as possible to the circumstances of the death, so that the listeners get the impression already when the text is read aloud: One should be careful not to choose texts which, when read out, give those present the feeling (since they rightly infer the deceased from the text) that the funeral oration will result in untruthfulness. What an impression the listeners must get, for example, if the text is taken from a person who is not at all distinguished by godliness: "O thou devout and faithful servant," etc. (Matth. 25, 21.)
This can only cause infinite da mage to the listeners, which can perhaps never be repaired, and the preacher himself becomes contemptible to his listeners. Therefore
L. Osiander writes:
"If any sermon requires a very special text, which is often the case at the solemn union of young married couples, as well as at funerals, and when a new minister is to be entrusted with the ministry of the Word of God and the sacraments, then let the preacher choose especially such a passage or story of Scripture which contains those main doctrines which he is about to treat, lest, if the biblical text which is read is too remote from the intended subject, all that is said be forced and seem not to belong properly to the matter. And those who, by many detours, come close to the things of which they have promised to speak, do not show their sagacity in the right way, and the fruit of their teaching is small."
§ 4
In order to make the selection of the texts with the necessary care, some rules are to be kept in mind, according to which the same has to be done. These are primarily the following:
1. choose a text from the canonical books of Scripture;
2. choose a text that corresponds as much as possible to the circumstances;
3. the text to be chosen must contain a specific doctrine of faith or morals, or it
must at least offer a good opportunity to present it.
4. the text must be neither too short nor too long.
Note 1
That only one text from the canonical books of Holy Scripture is to be chosen has already been explained in § 1, Annot. 3 has already been explained and justified. It may be noted here how to proceed if the deceased himself has chosen a f uneral text from an apocryphal book, a hymn, etc., or if the relatives have chosen such a text. In such cases, the preacher may comply with the expressed wish, but must prove the truths expressed in the text given to him from the canonical writings.
Note 2
In choosing the texts, the circumstances must be well considered so that the text corresponds to them as much as possible. The preacher must therefore take this into consideration:
1. to himself, that he does not choose a text for which he lacks knowledge and
skill. David walked much better and more comfortably in his shepherd's clothing than in Saul's heavy armor (1 Sam. 17, 38 ff.). Furthermore, he should not choose texts that are not suitable fo r him. Unsuitable for a student of theology and young, inexperienced preachers are those texts that deal with severe trials and temptations of which they may have had little or no experience, such as Ps. 88:7, 8: "Thou hast laid me low in the pit, in darkness and in the deep. Your wrath oppresses me, and you press me with all your floods"; or texts like Hohel. 2, 6: "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand tempts me", according to which the relationship between spouses would be depicted as an image of the relationship between Christ and his church, what especially for young, unmarried preacher s, could only be unseemly.
Finally, he did not choose such texts that could give rise to mocking remarks on the part of the listeners. Rambach gives the following example: "A candidate who was burned as black as a Moor by the sun came to the pulpit in a large congregation with the words Cant. 1, 6: "Do not look at me that I am so black, because the sun has burned me so.
2. to his listeners, that the text corresponds to the knowledge, the power of
comprehension and the need of the same. Following the example of the apostle 1 Corinthians 3:1, 2, he gives "milk" to children in knowledge, and "strong meat " to those who are helped in knowledge; he first lays the foundation by simple presentation of the catechism truths, before he goes into the treatment of subtle, difficult doctrines and questions, which are far beyond the comprehension of the listeners, because they still lack the knowledge of the simplest and most necessary truths. If certain sins are on the rise, or if they want to break in, then such texts are to be chosen in which the same are punished. The same applies with respect to errors in doctrine, into which the listeners are in danger of being seduced. Finally, the circumstances of the place where the hearers reside must also be taken into considerati on. "If one were, e. g., in a small hamlet," remarks Rambach, "and wanted to choose for a sermon on repentance the text Jon 1, 2: 'Arise and go to the great city of Nineveh,' etc., this would certainly indicate a great defectum judicii ac prudentiae (lack of judgment and prudence)." - Spurgeon reports the following examples of a ridiculous choice of text:
"I heard a strange text taken the other day, which was appropriate or inappropriate as one wishes to look at it. A landowner had given away a number of bu rning scarlet coats to the oldest poor women in the village. Those who were radiant in such splendor had to come to church the following day and take their places directly in front of the pulpit, from which one of the so -called successors of the apostles t hen sought to edify the faithful with a sermon on the words: ' Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as the same one.' It is said that on a later occasion, when the same benefactor of the parish had made a gift of a bushel of potatoes to each father of a family, the pastor took as his text the words: 'And they said among themselves, this is manna.' I do not know," he adds, "whether the subject treated in these cases has been appropriate to the choice of text; probably it has been, for Everything suggests that the whole thing has been foolish from beginning to end."
Note 3
Only those texts are to be chosen which contain a certain doctrine of faith or morals, i.e. which are directly prectical. There is no text in the Scriptures that, when considered according to its scopus and context, does not contain a useful doctrine, but not all texts are equally practical and usable. A preacher may be very learned and able to explain the spiritual meaning of the badger skins (Deut. 4, 10), the faces of the cherubim above the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 37, 9), the typical meaning of the staffs that the children of Israel were to hold in their hands when eating the paschal lamb (Ex. It wou ld be more than senseless to explain the meaning of the windows in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:4), but to choose the passages as sermon texts and to teach the congregation about them. Every faithful preacher has to think of the salvation of the souls bought with Christ's blood in every choice of text and to consider in prayer before God how he might achieve this goal, but not to proceed on the basis of subtle investigations. He might otherwise be much like a lion engaged in catching mice, or a warship hunting for a lost barrel of water. As little as it was to the credit of the king of Persia, Harcatius, that he was a famous mole-catcher, to the credit of the king of Lydia, Briantes, that he was excellent at making sewing needles, so little is it to the credit of a preacher, as a messenger of God to men, to occupy himself in the pulpit with such trivial things, while hungry souls long for the bread of life. To choose texts are therefore not:
A. Mere gender registers, like Gen. 10, 1 ff.; Matth. 1, 1 -17. It sho uld be
noted that Paul writes in the 1st Ep. to Timoth. 1, 3. 4: "As I have admonished thee, that thou stayedst at Ephesus,.... and commanded some that they should not teach otherwise, neither take heed of fables and genealogies, which have no end, and bri ng up questions, more than correction, unto God in faith."
B. Speeches of the wicked or Satan alone, so that these are taken out of their
context, like 1 Sam. 28, 19 the words of the alleged Samuel: "Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me"; or the words of Satan Job 2, 2: "I have passed through the land round about", v. 4: "Skin AM skin and all that a man has he leaves for his life"; or the saying of the wicked Jer. 22, 13: "Let us eat and drink, we will die tomorrow."
C. Texts that deal with purely external, unimportant things, like 2 Timothy. 4,
13: "Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpo when you come, and the books, but especially the parchment." "There are," writes Rambach, "so many beautiful texts in the Old and New Testaments, which serve more for edification, yes, so many core and main sayings, which are known, but understood by very few; item sayings, which are misused for security, in which one finds matter enough to preach. But if one affects something special by mentioning textus inexspectos (unexpected texts), about which one should never think that one could preach a sermon, then there are usually dishonest intentions behind it, yes, one can even make oneself ridiculous with decent people, but this cannot happen abusu nominis divini (without misuse of the divine name)."
One should not think it possible that there could be preachers who occupy themselves with such trivial things and gimmicks in the pulpit. Experience, however, teaches the opposite. Thus a Jesuit preached 24 s ermons on the words 1 Sam. 1, 1: "There was a man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim," etc., and expatiated on the word "w a r" in seven, on the word "M a n n" in four sermons, while in the others he dealt with the whole geography of the land of Canaan. Also a Lutheran, the Magister J. L. Schweger in Altdorf, has done something similar. After this learned gentleman had preached in his first catechism sermon about the title of the catechism, he based the second one on the words: "Printed by Bal thasar Scherben, university printer" and treated the topic: "The importance of the art of printing"! In our time, however, such tastes are common among the modern English "clergymen" of our country, as a glance at the daily English newspapers shows.
These gentlemen "clergymen" should exchange the pulpit for the stage; in any case, they are much better suited as actors than as preachers and would do less mischief on the stage than in the pulpit.
Note 4
The text must be neither too long nor too short. If the text is too long and needs further explanation, either this cannot be done thoroughly, or it takes up all the time allotted for the sermon, so that there is no time left for the application of the truths highlighted. An example of this might be the epistle on Sexagesimä Sunday. In such a case, it is better to preach on only a part of the text. If, however, one is preaching on a free text that contains the doctrine to be treated but cannot be divided without tearing apart the context, it is better to read only the words that are in the center of the text, that give the summa of it and should serve as the actual basis of the sermon, but to treat the rest in the introduction, as far as it is necessary, in order to put the topic in perspective from the context. 1 Kings 18:1-15 can serve as an example, if the preacher wanted to make the words in the 12th verse: "Your servant fears the Lord from his youth" the actual basis of his topic.
Likewise, however, texts should not be chosen that are too short, especially if they are taken out of context. Why not read out what belongs either to the text itself or to its understanding? Thus, an English clergyman chose for the text of a funeral oration the words Apost. 9, 37: "She fell sick and died"; an American clergyman chose the words John 8, 52: "Abraham died" for a speech at the death of President Abraham Lincoln! While the former should have taken the whole passage of v. 36 - 42 to the text, the latter seems to have been a fool, or only intent on a sensation. Spurgeon himself, who otherwise so sharply condemns such things, also provides an example of such a choice of text. In a sermon on the subject of "small sins", he added the words Gen. 19, 20: "And it is small" as a text, which looks very similar to a play with the text.
The following testimonies from older and more recent times may find a place here as evidence for what has been explained. Christ. Stock writes: "In the choice of the text, the preacher takes sensible consideration:
1. on himself. This happens when he:
a) He has researched his powers, so that he does not choose a text that he is not equal to, either in antiquity or in sublimity. b) Take good care of his gifts. God has not given everything to everyone, but has distributed his gifts to different people according to his gracious pleasure. c) If he takes his person and his position into account, so that he does not pick out a text that is not suitable for him. For something else is appropriate for a person who publicly administers the sacred office of preaching, something else for one who is not in office and who, for the sake of practice, makes words instead of a sermon.
2. to the audience, why he may choose such a text, which corresponds exactly
to the state of knowledge of the same, so that he does not imitate the custom of incomprehensible physicians, who, without having investigated the condition and the disease of the patient, hurry to give him the remedies.
3. on the text itself, so that he may choose a useful text, which before others
will promote the edification of the hearers, which is not too difficult, which contains an argument of faith and piety known to them. Nor should he present the matter in a confused and hidden manne r; and finally a necessary text, which the present condition of his audience seems to demand urgently."
P. Bauer: "With regard to form, such passages are not to be recommended for
texts whose doctrinal content is obscured by difficult, obscure language, by reference to antiquarian conditions whose understanding cannot be presumed by the congregation." Christ. Palmer writes of casual speeches: "It is something beautiful, something glorious, when the preacher succeeds in striking the right note already with the text; this often has an electric effect on the congregation, which immediately feels: this is what should be spoken today." The same: Concerning historical texts: "The preacher should be careful not to interpret too objectively and to deal too historica lly with the persons leaving in his text, while the present casus is neglected. If, for example, a wedding procession has arrived in the church, one does not want to be taught now about Boaz and Ruth, about Boaz the Younger and Sarah the Second; the main e mphasis must rest on that which concerns the present case, and which, of course, will always come down to a general, objectively Christian thing."
Finally, Rambach writes: "It is a stinking, vain arrogance, if one wants to show on such occasions that one can give a whole sermon over two or three words, and that one can write a long and broad one. If the text is somewhat too short, it is better to include a few words from the context or a verse from the antecedentibus and consequentibus (the preceding and following), although it is not explained, so that inter surrectionem et sessionem (the rising up and sitting down) of the congregation, which is, after all, how appropriate, (the words of the text) standing, some time may pass and some spatium temporis (time) may pass, so that the auditores (listeners) do not have to sit down again the moment they stand up to hear the words of the text, since then they may even hear the words under the strepitu (noise) and not be able to hear them."