Of the conclusion of the sermon.
§ 1
By the conclusion the sermon, especially the application of it, is brought to a right conclusion-.
Annotation
Just as little as the introduction (Cap. 1, § 1, Note 1. 2, p. 1 f.), the conclusion forms an essential part of the sermon. We therefore find some sermons without an actual conclusion, which nevertheless present themselves as a complete whole, without show ing any gap or deficiency. The subject is treated according to all its essential parts, the intended effect on mind, heart and will is produced, without the need for a formal conclusion. Many sermons by Reinhard, who is famous as a preacher. One of his sermons, for example, on the Gospel on Sond. Sept. (Matth. 20, 1-16) on the topic: "Encouragements to a noble, unselfish professional loyalty" closes with the presentation of the last encouragement to this loyalty, that it does not remain without retribution, without adding a recapitulation or a special exhortation. (Sermons in 1800, pp. 124 -143.) In some sermons, especially paraenetic ones, which already contain exhortations from beginning to end, a special final exhortatio n can be omitted without harm, and the same might be true of many homilies. For as desirable, indeed as necessary, a special conclusion may be in the analytical and synthetic sermon, this should not be the case with the homily, since by its nature it is en tirely in the practical field, its subject matter is the story and parable, and it is therefore itself entirely application. Herder therefore rightly said that in the homily "no one may wait for application, because everything is application. Homilists hav e therefore expressed themselves very differently about the necessity and value of a special conclusion to the sermon. Schott says: "The true eloquence celebrates its Triumph in the Epilogue of the Speech" and refers to the examples of the ancient pagan orators of the Greeks and Romans, who gave a recapitulation in the conclusion of their speeches and then sought to excite the affects. The recapitulation ( enumeratio) consisted in the summary repetition, by which the things, which were scattered and rambling in the speech, were condensed into one place and brought under one overview for the sake of memory. Ammon says in his "Handbuch zur Kanzelberedsamkeit," 1812, p. 278, § 125: "What in an ordinary speech is the conclusion (peroratio), that in the sermon is the application (usus, applicatio)."
He does not want, if the whole second part of the sermon is based on the practical, consequently a continuous application, any further conclusion than a short prayer. Bartels (Specielle Homiletik) considers a conclusion to be "unnecessary and inexpedie nt" in most homilies, because the homily naturally concludes with a moral reflection, but this must always be derived only from the last historical or parabolic moment. He considers special concluding remarks, which refer to the whole, to be justified only in the case of the evangelical parables, to which the master himself has set "a moral keystone", e.g.: the parable of the lost sheep, of the unfaithful steward, of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Hüffell writes: "With a proper logical and oratorical s tructuring of the sermon, it has its conclusion where the organization of the whole appears to be completed. It is true that the nature of the matter is such that the speech rises higher and higher toward the conclusion until it breaks off at the highest p oint, and accordingly nothing more would be necessary. But, considering how seldom the listeners follow the speaker's course with the necessary attention, and how seldom the earlier moments of the speech have been faithfully preserved, it is in any case ve ry good to repeat the main points again." Grotefend considers the conclusion to be necessary, "to the extent that it is even reasonable that in the conclusion the listener be led back once again to all that he has heard, in order to have it all together in one overview, also because the conclusion can present an opportunity to have an effect especially on the heart and on the resolution. To cite only one more of the more recent homileticians, Palmer (Ev. Homil., 4th ed., 1857, p. 471) writes: "The preacher has said and executed what was to be said and executed about his text; he is finished.
However, cultus and custom do not permit such an informal ending and departure; the Amen is given to the sermon as a standing conclusion; this solemn affirmation, howeve r, cannot be placed behind every sentence with which the preacher's thoughts might coincidentally come to an end; it requires a concluding thought that is worthy of this seal and can bear it. Yes, because the Amen is the testimony of the entire content of the sermon, a Summary, a recapitulation of the same very good for the conclusion." According to Palmer, a conclusion would only be necessary for the sake of the amen; if this had not become the custom, the conclusion would not be necessary either!
In the ancient Christian church, the church fathers commonly concluded their homiletic discourses with a doxology, such as Rom. 9:5; or a petition, 1 Thess. 5:23; or with a word, such as Jer. 28:6: "The Lord do so." Chrysostom closes most of his homilies with a doxology, e.g., the speech at his ordination to the priesthood: "Pray therefore for me, that I may one day not be of those who are cast bound into utter darkness, but rather of those who obtain forgiveness through the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor, glory, and worship forever and ever! Amen." Cf. his 77th homily on Matthew, the eulogy on Job, the first speech on Saul and David, etc. On the other hand, he concludes a speech on the betrayal of Judas with the words, "From what grave guilt the grace of God may always preserve us! Amen."
In the 17th century, the concl usion consisted of the well -known fivefold useful application, from which first Spener diverted more to the edification of the whole sermon, and which was overcome by Rambach by replacing Spener's prolixity with a concise and clearer presentation. With Rambach, the (admittedly often very long) application consisted mostly of an examination and a revivalist address to the unconverted, penitent and converted (see "Rath Gottes" etc., pp. 398, 921 etc.) or an instruction for the right use and a revival (loc. cit., p. 277), which was then followed by a free prayer. This is different in the excellent work "Christ in Moses", in which Rambach interweaves much more the application with the execution and either closes very briefly (21st reflection), or highlights a "main thing" in the conclusion (9th reflection), or also gives a short recapitulation with a certain teaching or exhortation (10th and 11th reflection).
In the work of J. Hülsemann: Methodus Condonandi, Lips. 1677, we learn the following about the conclusion of the sermon: "It is not necessary to summarize the instructions of the authors about the conclusion. All rhetors have in common the principle that the strongest argument of the argument, both textual and pathetic, should be presented in the sp eech as close as possible to the conclusion, by which we leave a sting in the soul of the listener. It is not an improper way to close the sermon if we repeat the arguments we have used in the sermon in exact order, and after adding an exclamation (especia lly in the paedeutic and epanorthotic usage) in something like this: Who should not believe this, who should not agree, who should not be obedient? or similarly the The end of the book is like Jeremiah 5:31: "How will you fare in the end? 24: "The Lord will see it and seek it," or Ezek. 23, 33: "But when that which is to come comes, they will see that a prophet has been among them." Chrysostom, in his homily on the words of Isaiah: "I have seen the Lord", connected this way of summarily repeating the main parts of the treatise and the benefit flowing from this repetition in the following way at the end: "But now we close this sermon, lest what we feared at the beginning should happen to us now, namely, that the multitude of things should spoil your memory. For this reason, it is nec essary that we summarily repeat what we have said in a few words." The conclusion is also done by a second gnoma or sentence, which either contains the summa of the sermon, or otherwise has a certain point to move the listeners.
Thus the apostle used to close his epistles sometimes with a votum, like Rom. 16, 25, sometimes with a consolation, ibid. V. 20 and 1 Corinthians 16:23, 24, or with a rebuke, such as: "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema Maran atha," 1 Corinthians 16:2 2, or with a similar conclusion. As it is said in Apost. 28, 25, that the apostle closed his sermon with a word by which the Jews were violently hurt. It is also a fine conclusion, although it must not always be used, which suddenly breaks off, as: "Let this suffice"; or: "Peace be with all who love Christ Jesus!" Eph. 6:24; Rom. 15:33; Col. 4:18; 1 Pet. 5:14; or, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear"; "Beloved, flee, beware of sin," as 1 John 5:21, etc. Or with another fervent supplication." (Cap. IX, p. 166.)
Schott writes: "The speaker ends his lecture when the action taking place in his inner being, which he renews in his lecture and brings to view for others who are now acting with him, announces itself to him through his consciousness as an action that has now reached its goal, and, if he can at the same time presuppose, that he has done everything that could be done by him, through clear and lively expression of his inner life, with appropriate consideration for the spiritual education and mood of his listeners, to bring about in his listeners the theoretical and practical conviction that pervades himself. The speech is to be considered a properly closed one if it ends in such a way that the listeners must leave in the same mood as the intention of the lecture demands, to the extent that this depends on the activity of the speaker. For the perfect achievement of the speaker's intention, with respect to each individual lecture and to each listener, is of course not within his control alone. It can well be In this and that mind, obstacles, which are not known to him, work against him, or, during the lecture itself, disturbing impressions are produced by external circumstances and events, by which the attention, even if only of individuals, is distracted and interrupted. The homiletic demand is therefore only that he should produce the total impression that can be produced and expected, insofar as this is based on his performance. This total impression is by no means to be regarded as the effect of the conclus ion alone; the whole speech in its content, its arrangement, its presentation is an action striving toward this goal. But it can also not be misjudged how much is based on the way in which one ends the speech. This was already recognized by the ancient Greek and Roman rhetors." (The Theory of Eloquence, 3rd Th., 1st Abth., 5th chap., p. 224 f.)
§ 2
The conclusion must be short and to the point, i.e., it must be such that the main point of the sermon is recalled and put to the heart of the listeners in a few emphatic words.
Annotation
Regarding the ending, Rambach gives the following main rules: "1. that one is mindful of the ending in the pulpit, and therefore be careful to be brief. 2. one must arrange the epilogue in a skillful and unaffected manner." Further elaborating on the first rule, he then writes: "Not only is one hour the usual time ordinarily appointed for a sermon, hence there is also a sand- clock in the pulpit, according to which the preacher should orient himself; but one hour is also sufficient that so much can be said in it as the listeners can grasp and retain before that time. But one hour is convenient a) the preacher, that he does not ruin his strength and health before the time. For to speak for an hour in a row with pr oper affect is already enough to attack the preacher's mind and to tire the body. If one is young and has a good physical constitution, one does not pay much attention to it; but one will find it well in old age and will often regret and regret that one did not take better care and spare oneself in youth.
b) One hour is also convenient for the listeners, so that they are not overwhelmed, nor tempted to fancy and weariness with the Word of God; which effect long sermons usually have, especially in those places where the Wo rd of God is preached abundantly without it. Then a teacher must have so much love for his hearers that he sends himself into the weakness of the human mind and makes it so that the hearers retain the desire and appetite to come again and hear more good things." For our relationship, the measure of a sermon should be limited to half an hour, at the most to three quarters of an hour. It seems as if the Christians in Rambach's time had a better preaching appetite than in our time. Certainly that old pastor was right who said to a young pastor who was preaching for an hour, "Preach, my dear fellow, on whatever you like, it is all the same to me, but never preach over 40 minutes." And we will have to agree with Spurgeon, who says, "If one cannot say what he has to say in that time (40 minutes), he will never say it. But, says one here, one should do 'his objects righteousness'. But shouldn't you also give righteousness to your listeners, or at least have some mercy on them and not keep them too long? The object will not complain of you, but the hearers will.... A kind of silent contract has been made between you and the assembly that you will not tire them for more than an hour and a half; therefore, if you make it longer, you are actually committing a breach of c ontract and are guilty of fraud.
Brevity is a virtue that we can all practice; let us not lose the opportunity of acquiring the favor that we can gain by it. If you ask me how one can come to preach more briefly, I would answer: Prepare better! Spend more time in the study room so that you will spend less time in the pulpit. We usually preach the longest when we have the least to say. A pastor with a fair amount of well-prepared material will most likely not go beyond 40 minutes; if he has less to say, he w ill extend his sermon to 50 minutes; if he has absolutely nothing to say, he will need a full hour." (Lecture in Eccles., p. 194.) As is well known, Bugenhagen belonged to those pastors who were very lengthy, about which Luther reproached him in the kindes t way. But Bugenhagen cited the Word of the Lord, John 8:47: "He who is of God hears the Word of God," and received the answer from Luther:
"Moderation in all things is good. It is a tender thing to hear and soon gets tired and weary of a thing. Recordemur verbum Christi: I still have much to say to you, but you cannot take it now." In the table talks (E. A., B. 59, p. 189) it says: "Doctor M. L. forbade the preachers, they should not torture the audience and endure with long sermons; 'because the pleasure to listen', he said, 'Destroy them, so the pastors themselves do them woe and power with long sermons'. Therefore he reproved D. Pommern for his long preaching, saying that he was not doing it on purpose, but out of error and habit." - A good speaker's office or sign is that he stops when he is heard most gladly and thinks he will first come; but when he is heard with weariness and displeasure and would like to stop and come to an end and decision, that is an evil sign. So also with a pastor; if one says, I might well have listened to him longer, it is goo d; but if one says, He had come to the washing and could never stop, it is an evil sign." (S. 242.)
But if one has to make an effort to be brief in the sermon, how much more so in its conclusion! A long and usually still quite dry and meaningless conclusion, in which the listener sees himself deceived again and again in his expectation of hearing the Ame n, a conclusion that does not come to an end, an ending that cannot find an end, is something exceedingly tedious and angular. It is one of the most suitable means on the part of the pastor to spoil the sermon for the listeners, to destroy the whole impression of the sermon, to kill all attention and to make it difficult to come back. If an actual conclusion is necessary, a short conclusion is certainly doubly and triply necessary if the purpose for which it is added to the sermon is to be achieved. This brevity is always necessary, whether in the conclusion the summa of the whole treatise and thus the actual point of it is given, or whether only an application of the subject treated in the sermon to the audience takes place, or finally a summary repetition with application is given as conclusion. Just look at the addresses of the Lord and the apostles. The conclusion of the great Pentecost sermon of Peter is Ap. 2, 36: "Know therefore all the house of Israel assuredly, that God hath made this Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ."
This conclusion forms the actual point of the apostle's address, it is the keystone in the whole, victorious exposition, in which the whole power of it is concentrated, as in its apex, its climax, therefore also penetratin g the hearts and consciences of the listeners, so that they exclaim overcome and shaken: "Men dear brethren, what shall we do?" And look at the end of the sermon (Acts 10:34 -43) that Peter preached in the house of the centurion Cornelius in Caesarea: "To this all bear witness. prophets, that through his name all who believe in him should receive forgiveness of sins." How in this conclusion the main content of the sermon is so briefly, clearly and aptly summarized! An example for every pastor to impress the main point as clearly and emphatically as possible in the conclusion of his sermons and to t ake it to the hearts of his listeners, so that they cannot leave the church without being overwhelmed by the truth they have heard. Cf. the end of the parable of the sower, Luc. 8, 8; of the shalik servant, Matth. 18, 35, etc., which are not only character ized by their brevity, but even more so by the fact that they either hold the attention of the listeners to the highest degree, or literally force them to think about what they have heard, or finally pierce their hearts like thorns that they cannot get rid of.
Chemnitz: "Regarding the conclusion, Vossius teaches I. III. Part. or. c. 9. teaches that its task is twofold. One is recapitulation or repetition of the main reasons; the other is the movement of the affects. Here, he says, the orator should especially open the springs of eloquence, so that he may not only inflame the judge, but seem to glow himself. According to Causinus, Henry IV, King of France, made the fine statement that he could recognize an excellent orator by nothing better than by the conclusion. A similar instruction is given by Jakob Andreä I. c. p. 73: The conclusio n should comprise I. a repetition of the most important reasons, 2. a serious admonition, which should be given in a flash, so that the listeners will remember what they have heard, hold on to it and arrange their whole life according to it.
Therefore, we now add some rules: 1. take care to conclude in a manly and expeditious manner, as Pastor says in I. c. p. 263; however, as Jakob Andreä rightly reminds us in p. 74, this should be done in a friendly, calm and attractive manner, not impetuously. 2 One shou ld not repeat the evidence, unless the circumstances obviously require it. For Causinus rightly judges that this should not be done in order to show off one's memory, but that the conclusion should rather be made with an urgent admonition and a touch of th e stronger evidence. 3) Repeat only that which we particularly wish to "stick" in the hearts of the listeners, and only a concise summary of the text should be given at the end. (4) Avoid tiresome prolixity, and be careful not to append a long conclusion to a long sermon, according to Jakob Andreä, Hunnius, Weller and others. 5 Sometimes it will not be without use to end with an apostrophe or a sudden break, if only it is not done first and in an affectational manner. 6. close the sermon with a pious wish that God may seal in the hearts what has been heard, or that the Goods, of which one addressed, give us, or, the evil avert want. Or it may be closed with a suitable passage of Holy Scriptures, or with thanksgiving and praise to the divine name."
A. A. Hochstetter: "There remains the epilogue, the fifth and last part of the address, of
which two parts are usually given in the rhetorics, namely the summary repetition and the exhortation; each of these finds its place in the conclusion. Summary repetition (enumeratio) is called, according to Cicero, definition, by which what is said in a scattered and rambling manner is condensed into one place and, in order to recall it to memory, is placed under one overview, whereby the listener at the same time returns to his memo ry and believes that, in addition to what is repeated, he should not desire anything. But this general rule (continues Cicero, the greatest of orators) is given concerning summary repetition, that from each argument, since the whole cannot be repeated, that is chosen which is most weighty, and that each is done as briefly as possible, so that the memory does not see a renewed address: To the summary repetition is added a serious and important exhortation, which encourages the hearers to take to heart what has been said and to arrange their lives according to its precepts.
Sometimes, however, with cessation of repetition (which is indeed very useful), this latter part of the epilogue (the exhortation) is added directly to the treatise, by which the hearts of the hearers, after the importance and necessity of the matter have been shown, are shaken and, as it were, driven into them as certain thorns." (Comm, de recta con. Ratione, p. 25.) If we summarize the above in a few points, a brief and accurate conclusion of the sermon can be obtained in the following way:
1. one suddenly breaks off in the middle of the flow of the address and adds only one
emphatic statement or one emphatic question, leaving the answer to the listeners. But not every emphatic statement is suitable for a closing word. If an old Würtemberg pastor used to close his sermons with the statement: "In short, the world cannot be helped," this was completely wrong, because, as Stiexx rightly says, "the conclusion should always have something calming and conciliatory; it should not be a lingering word of terror and thunder; even if, for example, the text and the sermon had almost been one, then it w ould give the impression that the sermon was not a conclusion. Rather, the conclusion at least gives the whole the right sound and the right light. The pastor never leaves the pulpit as if he wanted to shake the dust off his feet. Therefore, even a sermon on repentance can hardly be concluded with the words Jer. 5:31: "How will you fare in the end?" or with the statement: "The Lord will see and judge. How very different' it sounds when Menken, for example, closes the 14th homily ("The Prophet Elijah"): "Let us take strength and encouragement from this example of Elisha! Let us pray to the Lord for strength and faithfulness! and keep our eyes fixed on the goal. If anyone will serve Me, says the Lord, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant be also, and whoever will serve Me, him shall My Father honor! He who has an ear to hear, let him hear!"
2 With an emphatic word of the Holy Scriptures. Schott remarks: "As the language of our sacred documents in general strengthens and enlivens the spiritual speech in a peculiar degree, so also a fitting passage of the Bible, brought about by the context, the epilogue may have this or that content, may occur in the form of prayer or as an address to the listeners, is always an exquisitely worthy capstone of the whole; tied to biblical words, the reverberation of the sermon then resounds all the louder and deeper in the minds of the listeners." Appropriate closing words, depending on the content of the sermon, are e.g.: Gal. 6, 16: "As many as walk according to this rule, upon them be peace and mercy"; Luc. 11, 28: "Blessed are they that hear and keep the Word of God"; Gal. 6, 9: "But let us do good and not grow weary, for in His time we shall also reap without ceasing." Menken aptly closes the 7th homily on 1 Kings 18:21 -24 with the words 2 Corinthians 6:14 -16: "So let us not go with the unbelievers on a strange yoke! For what has righteousness" etc.? Several passages of the Holy Scriptures that harmonize in c ontent can also serve as closing words. Thus Menken concludes the second homily, p. 28, with the words Ps. 91, 1. 2 and Ps. 143, 18-.21; the 3rd with the words Is. 66, 1. 2 and 57, 15. Some words of the text are especially suitable, if they are only short, or also some words from the longer text for the conclusion, e.g. Matth. 11, 6:
"Blessed is he who does not take offense at me"; or Apost. 4, 12, Is. 1, 18 etc. As the closing word of his 39th treatise ("Views into the Life of Ap. Paul") Menken uses the last verse of his text, Apost. 20, 32: "I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is mighty to edify you, and to give excellency unto all them that are sanctified." Cf. Schott: Neue Ausw. von Homil. u. Pred., 1830, p. 158, p. 301; Walther: Casualpr., p. 28; 80.
3. with a votum, which can consist of either biblical or own words. Such appropriate biblical
words are Heb. 13:20, 21: "Now the God of peace, who brought forth from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep...., make you perfect in every good work to do His will, and work in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ"; or 1 Thess. 5:23: "But He, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through, and your spirit wholly.... of our Lord Jesus Christ." A concluding vow clothed in his own words may be, "The Lord grant grace that we may not be forgetful hearers, but doers of his word," etc., or, "That help us all the Duke of our salvation, Jesus Christ, adored and beloved and vowed for ever and ever. Amen." (Walther, Cas., p. 341.)
4. by an exclamation , which can also either be a biblical one, such as Pastor 107:43:
"Who is wise and keeps this? So they will realize how much good the Lord does", cf. Ps. 108, 14 and others; or put into self -chosen words, as Menken (The Proph. Elijah) closes the 6th homily on 1. Pastor 18, 16-20 with the exclamation: "Oh well to everyone who keeps the Lord in the time of temptation and apostasy, and keeps His word and His commandments. Over such a one also will the Lord keep in trouble, and will preserve him in the time of temptation and tribulation, when the lying and idolatrous become profane" (p. 84). - "Blessed are all those who take this truth to heart!"
5. with a doxology or praise of the name of God. Especially the oldest Greek fathers closed
their sermons with a doxology like the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer and the hymn of praise of the heavenly h osts, as has already been noted above by Chrysostom on page 340. This great orator closes the four addresses on the image pillars before us with the doxology: "Of which" (namely "the future bliss" or "the unspeakable goods") "we all want to be worthy through the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, together with the Father and Holy Spirit, be glory for ever and ever! Amen." (Lord, Chrys. -Postille, pp. 607, 619, etc.) - Ps. 106, 48 the doxological conclusion reads, "Praise be to the Lord God of Israel forever and ever, and let all the people say, Amen, Hallelujah!" Menken concludes the 8th homily on 1 Kings 18:25-29: "To Him, the Son of the Father, the image of God, the Lord of glory, let every knee bow and every mouth confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father! Amen."
Op. cit. p. 111; cf. pp. 59 u. 316. - "To the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be praise, honor and praise forever and ever, Amen." - True Palmer (Ev. Homil., 4th ed., p. 473) rejects the doxological form of the conclusion because it is apparently "a liturgical element" which "cannot be derived from homiletical premises," but why should a sermon, whose ultimate purpose must never be other than the glorification of God, not sound out in praise of God?
6. with a song verse . There is certainly nothing to be said against this popular and
frequently used form of conclusion, if, first, it does not become stereotypical and, second, the hymn verses are really appropriately chosen so that they summarize the moments presented in the sermon. If there is a lack of one or the other, as happens all too often, the pastor misses his purpose with such a conclusion. Alternation is absolutely necessary, as in other things, so also in the form of the conclusion, because if the listeners are used to a certain form, their attention immediately wanes as soon as they notice that the conclusion is coming. Therefore Rambach says: "Only here it is to be observed that one need not get into the habit of doing this in a certain way; in that it is affectirt if one uses a verse for the introduction and conclusion in all his sermons, which commonly comes from laziness and inaptitude for prayer." It is unnecessary to give examples here; we only refer to the Reformation festival sermons by Dr.
Walther on Rom. 1, 16. 17 and Acts 5, 38. 39 in the Casual Sermons, pp. 40 and 101, in which the concluding verses are extremely aptly chosen.
7. by an emphatic recapitulation of the whole treatise. Schott writes about this form of
conclusion: "It is certainly undeniable that an emphatic, vividly and powerfully enunciated repetition, which makes the most important points discussed in the individual sections of the address, on which the theoretical and practical conviction of the listeners is mainly based, once again pass before t heir gaze, can powerfully seize and is not infrequently the surest means of perfecting the mental mood and trend in which the speaker wishes to dismiss his listeners. The favorable impressions which the address had previously gradually produced by its indi vidual arguments, by its moving and obliging reasons, unite here once more, presented in the most intimate binding, their collected force, similar to illuminating and warming rays falling into one focus." No less apt, however, is what Schott immediately adds:
"But it is equally understandable why this expected effectiveness is lost if the recapitulation occurs too abruptly, without connecting easily and naturally to the preceding section, if the speaker indulges in a prolix, tiring repetition of the main moments, instead of approaching the conclusion of the lecture precisely through the concise compression of the main propositions.... to give it a peculiar force; when he makes the points represented appear in a stiff, dry scheme, lacking in live liness..... and usually binds himself to the same forms and turns of expression." Concerning the latter, Grotefend's words are to be noted: "Sometimes the speaker announces the end of the address in various turns of phrase, e. g.: Look back with me once more, etc., or the conclusion follows unnoticed, the main results reappear without being announced, and a heartfelt exhortation closes. Here, the former occurs in a few questions addressed to the listeners, and the latter, as it were, in answer to them; the re, it becomes a rounded period, which knows how to summarize everything clearly, as it were, in a cycle, and whose epilogue is the admonition or warning or consolation. At other times the speaker knows how to crowd his concluding remarks into a few powerf ul aphorisms and to close with a significant word." (Views etc. on Spiritual Eloquence, p. 140.)
We leave here only one example of how a short and lively repetition of the main moments with an attached exhortation is to be given at the end, from Dr. Walther's Epistle Postille. This conclusion in the Pentecost sermon on the Feast of the Apostles reads p. 266: "After this, then, my beloved, examine yourselves, whether you have already become partakers of the Holy Spirit? First of all, have you ever heard the roar of the storm wind coming from Sinai? Has the law already thrown you to the ground and made you naked, mere sinners? Have you also heard the gentle, invigorating, and refreshing sound of the Holy Spirit entering your hearts through the sweet gospel? Fi nally, have you experienced the effects that the Holy Spirit produces in a man when He has moved into him? Has your heart become burning and your tongue fiery to praise the great deeds of God in thought and word? Have you then already experienced how the t rue Christians have fallen for you and said yes and amen to your testimony, while the children of this world have mocked you as foolish enthusiasts? Oh, my dear ones, do not let the feast of Pentecost pass by without you having received this Pentecost blessing. God opens the whole heaven for you through this year's Pentecost sermons, in order to let the rain of grace of the Holy Spirit flow down on all men everywhere with these Pentecost sermons. Oh, sp you also open your hearts here, so that the heavenly rain may penetrate into them. When you have received this heavenly gift, then go as true priests taught by God and preach with burning hearts and fiery tongues to your still unenlightened brethren what fills your soul, so that your fire may always kindle more. But come on! Pray with me:
Come Holy Spirit, Fill the hearts of your believers And kindle in them the fire of your divine love, Who you through diversity of tongues The firecrackers of the whole world have gathered In eternity of faith. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen!" With an urgent exhortation corresponding to the content of the sermon. See the citations given above from Chr. Chemnitz and A. A. Hochstetter, pp. 345 f. Here only an example from Walther, Gnadenjahr, p. 224, where he closes a sermon on Char Friday about 1 Thess. 6, 9. 10 with the following exhortation to the listeners: "O dear listeners, let us then completely leave the world and sin; for in it there is only death, spiritual, temporal and eternal death. Let us sink in faith into Christ's death; therein is life, life here in grace, life there in glory.
How much would many a rich man give if he could buy himself free from death with it! Oh, then let us go to Golgotha, for there we find redemption from death free and for nothing. In particular, at the hour of our death, let us remember Christ's death in faith, so that we will not taste death. For as Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Amen." 9 With a heartfelt prayer. "Very readily," Schott comments on this, "the rising enthusiasm of the pastor at the end of the lecture puts himself in a prayerful mood, it may have been awakened and prompted initially by the last paragraph of the exposition or by a review of the main content of the whole sermon and of the purpose of the lecture." The closing prayers, however, as free prayers of the heart, must flow from a true mood of prayer, from a fervently supplicating, pleading, or praising heart, and mu st correspond in content and form to the sermon if they are to form a worthy conclusion. Most of the time the address, without first addressing a request to the congregation for prayer, which almost always has something jumpy about it, passes of its own accord into words of prayer. Thus Reinhard in a sermon on the Ev. of the 1st Pasch: After showing that the resurrection of Jesus also disperses the burdens of earthly hardship by making us feel that it, in whatever it may consist, is brief and beneficent, he concludes with the words:
"And we should lose heart when we are called upon to struggle with adversities? Our spirit should it forget that this is the way that led the Risen Lord to the throne of God? We should not say it to ourselves: 'All chastening, when it is there, seems to us to be not joy but sorrow, but afterwards it will give a peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are exercised by it'. Should we not suffer courageously and confidently with the Risen One, so that we ma y one day be raised to glory with Him? So then, everything, everything that burdens and weighs down our spirit disappears before you, you Risen One, and we feel free through the power of your resurrection. The dazzling works of sensuality flee, and your better kingdom opens up to us, into which we are to follow you. The terrors of disorder dissipate, for God has reconciled you and given you all power in heaven and on earth. Even the distress of the earth we bear with confidence, for thou wilt deliver us fro m all evil and help us out to thy kingdom; to thee be glory forever and ever; Amen!" (Sermons in 1800, p. 332.) - Walther concludes a penitential sermon on Rev. 2, 4. 5, the subject of which is: "The sad truth that also our congregation has left the first love": "Oh, that God would stir your heart today to let my little admonition find a place with you! God would soon do good to our little Zion, and the walls of our poor Jerusalem would soon be rebuilt.
Have mercy on us all, Lord Jesus, without whom we can do nothing, hear our fellowship plea; we hope in your goodness. Amen. Amen." (Cas.-Pr., p, 136.) Cf. p. 145, 314; Grace Year, p. 216. - It is hardly necessary to point out that several forms of conclusion can be used at the same time in a sermon, as some o f the examples given show, i.e., that the conclusion of a sermon can consist of repetition and exhortation, exhortation and prayer, and so on. It would be impossible to give all the forms that the conclusion of a sermon can take. However, it is clear that the conclusion of the sermon is of great importance and therefore requires no less care and preparation than the actual discourse. How many a pastor shows that he has not prepared at all or not properly for the conclusion, because he closes an otherwise ex cellent sermon incredibly lamely or cannot find an end, because he tells himself that he should close with an important, emphatic word and yet cannot find this word, until he finally has to say Amen in despair.
Bengel therefore used to prepare the end of the sermon very carefully, because he had the conviction that he was much freer in the whole lecture who could decide when and how he wanted. Finally, the following words of Grotefend may find a place here: "Two rules should not be overlooked in these final reminders of the address: The first is that they must never be too long and too tiring; for long -winded exhortations are never gladly heard, and a too verbose strengthening is like a too watery strengthening potion. If the main idea of the sermon is well executed, if in this execution everything is in order, the results can be summarized in a few words. It would look strange if the final exhortation were to resemble a short treatise. Our ancestors did well in this, in that they demanded a fivefold usum, as they called it, for every sermon, and thus gave rise to tedious prolixity. The second rule is that the conclusion must never fit any other sermon than the one at the end of which it stands, in that it must be taken entirely from the thoughts presented, and by these alone must receive its attitude." (op. cit., p.
140 f.)
§ 3
After the conclusion of the sermon, the pastor is to command God in heartfelt prayer the seed of the Word that has been scattered and to watch over himself, lest by evil example he tear down what he has built up by his words.
Note 1
"To a good sermon," Luther writes (VIII, (P9), "belongs a good prayer, that is: When one has given the word from oneself, one should begin to sigh, and desire that it also have power and produce fruit." Every pastor should always be mindful of these words of the Reformer, and therefore, immediately after the conclusion of the sermon, whether still in the pulpit or, after he has left it, in the sacristy, thank God from the bottom of his heart for the gracious assistance he has received. For it is something infinitely great, sublime and blessed, an immeasurable honor that befalls a sinful man, to bring sinful men the most sublime and saved message, to proclaim to them the word of life that saves them from damnation. The high apostle Paul calls out in view of the glory of his ministry Eph. 3, 8 "To me, the least of all the saints, is given this grace, to proclaim among the heathen the unsearchable riches of Christ." But it is also something exceedingly difficult and responsible to be a messenger of God to sinful mankind, to bring them a message, the acceptance of which brings life and salvation, but the rejection of which brings death and condemnation; it is a work that cannot be accomplished by natural powers, but only by God's grace, 2 Corinth. 3, 5. 6; and therefore every sermon should be followed by heartfelt prayer that the Lord God will bless the word preached in weakness, that it will go to the heart and bear fruit. And every sermon preached should bring the pastor one step lower, i.e. make him more humble. He should beware of complacency, for God can only use humble instruments in this ministry, and heed the words of the apostle 1 Corinth. 3, 5 -7: "Who then is Paul? Who then is Apollo?
Servants they are, by whom ye are become faithful; and the same as the Lord hath given to every man. I have planted, Apollo has watered; but God has given the flourishing. So then neither he that planted, nor he that watered, is anything, but God that giveth the prospering." "The pastor," says Rambach, "should go down from the pulpit in humility. Already during the sermon he has reason to watch over himself, if he notices that he feels well and that there is some movement in his listeners, that he is careful not to be complacent, that he does not like to hear himself speak, to reflect on his gifts and to fall in love with them. But he has even more to fight against self -love when he comes down from the pulpit and is praised by others for his sermon, that he thinks differently in his heart and rather asks that sensible people may point out his errors to him." A conscientious pastor will judge his sermons with unrelenting rigor and will find so many faults even in the best that self-glory and complacency cannot grow up in his heart; But he will also make every effort to remedy the deficiencies in his sermons that sh ow themselves to him, in order to become ever more capable and perfect, although he must always remain aware that a limited man, even if he had the eloquence of an angel, will never be able to present the power and wisdom, the grace, love and mercy of God in their greatness even approximately.
Note 2
Under the pulpit, the pastor must watch over himself with all diligence, so that he does not destroy again by an offensive life, evil examples, etc., what he has built up by his sermon. If a pastor, student, o r candidate of theology does not himself do what he should do with his If his conduct is not the testimony and seal of his words, if he does not live what he teaches, he should herd the s wine, but not be the teacher and shepherd of souls bought with the blood of Christ. Deeds preach louder than words, and with a pastor twice and thrice louder. No man leads more souls to Satan than a hypocritical pastor living in sin, but no other will be j udged in such a way! "If a studiosus enters," Rambach lets himself be heard about this, "and perorires and declamires for an hour and then goes back to the booze-houses and whore-houses, he would be worthy to spend the time of his fiefdom in the dirt cart, instead of climbing back into the pulpit.
Selnecker writes, among others, in the exposition of the 50th Psalm: "Epiphanius writes that Origines, who... wrote in all the books of the Bible and put them on, when he once had to read in the school at Alexandr ia and opened the book, he came to these words: God says to the wicked, why do you proclaim my rights and take my covenant into your mouth,' etc.; and he began to weep so bitterly that he was no longer able to read anything. For he thought how great a thing it was to proclaim the Word of God, rights and covenant, and yet to be a poor, miserable man and sinner himself. If sometimes our mad, impudent screamers pour out such a sermon from their sleeves and allow themselves to be persuaded to preach in wine and company, often still in gluttony, and otherwise live in many great sins against conscience, if they (I say) thought of it, what these very words hold, and how they went to the heart of the old Origeni, and still go to the heart of all pious, faithful teac hers, their hair would stand on end more than once, and all their insolence, pride and boldness would easily fall.... But God full of grace and mercy, rule and guide us, teachers and hearers, with his Holy Spirit, and be gracious to us for his name's sake, and keep us from false doctrines, security, pride, avarice, and vexatious living! Amen."