obvious a truth, but for the very common neglect, or forgetfulness, amongst preachers in this most essential point. How constant a complaint is it with a congregation that they cannot hear their minister :— with all their attention, they cannot catch more than half his meaning! The better the sermon the more disappointing must be it to hear only a part of it. Now, except in very large or ill-constructed churches, this difficulty of being heard does not commonly arise from any natural or insuperable defect in the preacher's voice, but from a bad habit of delivery, contracted generally when the preacher first entered upon his office, or since fallen into from indolence or inadvertence. You will find the following hints useful to guard you against similar errors. Perhaps some of

em may appear trivial; but I consider nothing as trivial which improves the effect of preaching; and no suggestions ought to be neglected which may help to remove even the slightest drawback. "The country parson," says Herbert, “holds the rule that nothing is little in God's service."

First, take care to speak plainly;-I do not mean loudly, but plainly. "Some preachers seem to think that they shall be heard if they bellow as loud as they can; and so they are, but they are not understood." It is not so much loudness of sound as distinctness of utterance which renders the voice intelligibly audible. In a church, as well as in a room, it is very possible to be too loud. Some writers recommend that particu

lar care should be used to pronounce the consonants; others insist on the necessity of attention to the due pronunciation of the vowels. I would say rather, attend to both. Let every syllable of every word be properly and clearly pronounced. Do not cut short some words and almost drop others, or confuse them together, as some readers are apt to do; but give each word, even the smallest, its due pronunciation. A little attention to this point when first you begin officiating will prevent you from contracting a habit which often spoils a preacher's delivery for life. Only take care that you do not run into the contrary extreme, and acquire a pedantic preciseness of expression, which is, perhaps, as disagreeable, though not so essentially bad as the former fault.

Be careful, in particular, not to allow your voice to sink into an inaudible tone at the end of a sentence. Keep it well sustained throughout; so that the last part of each sentence may be heard as distinctly as the first. But in so doing, avoid a practice which I have remarked in declamatory speakers, of raising the voice at the last syllable, or last but one, with a jerk, as if they were asking an impertinent question. It is difficult to explain more accurately what I mean; but, if you have ever been at a debating society of young orators, you will, probably, have observed the trick to which I allude. Few habits have a worse effect in the pulpit, or give more the air of affectation.

Do not bend your head constantly down to your book, but keep your face towards those whom you address, in such a manner that your voice may not be lost in any part of the Church. I do not advise you to stand without motion, looking always in the same direction. But I cannot say that I admire the manner in which some preachers turn and twist themselves to all parts of the pulpit, sometimes speaking to those on the extreme right, sometimes to those on the extreme left; as if they were different parties who required different arguments addressed to each. If you have a weak voice, it is clear that by this mode of speaking, much of what you say, must of necessity be lost by those on whom your back is turned. Sometimes, indeed, when the preacher is enunciating the proposed division of his subject, or some other point to which he desires. particular attention to be paid, I have observed that this object is gained by repeating it twice, as the text is usually repeated, to the right and to the left; and the same may be done when you repeat the same sentiment in different language.

If a preacher's voice is naturally weak, it is a good plan to address himself in the higher notes of his voice as distinctly as he can, to the part of the congregation farthest from him; a method, which is found to have the effect of throwing out the sound without any unpleasant exertion or straining.

In order to speak distinctly it is necessary to write

distinctly. "Let me entreat you," says Dean Swift, "to add one half crown a year to the article of paper, to transcribe your sermons in as large and plain a manner as you can, and either make no interlineation, or change the whole leaf; for we your hearers would rather you should be less correct, than perpetually stammering, which I take to be one of the worst solecisms in rhetoric. And, lastly, read your sermon once or twice a day for a few days before you preach it. To which you will probably answer, that it was but just finished when the last bell rang to Church, which I shall readily believe, but not the more excuse you." The following advice of Quinctilian is not to be despised. Relinquendæ autem vacuæ tabellæ in quibus libera adjiciendi sit excursio. Nam interim pigritiam emendandi angustiæ faciunt, aut certè novorum interpositione priora confundunt1."

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Besides the proper management of your own voice, it is obviously important, in order that you may be distinctly heard, to keep your congregation quiet. If their attention flags towards the middle or end of the sermon, I have observed that a few words of weighty import in a loud animated tone will make them still again. "We are told that St. Jerome, when his auditory began to grow dull in their attention, would recite a verse or two out of the Hebrew text, whereat they all started and gave ear to him."

1 Lib. x. cap. iii.

St. Augustin, too, had a peculiar plan in order to keep up attention-namely, to require the hearers to repeat the quotations after him. Thus when he said, “The end of the commandment is "—the people went on, "charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and faith unfeigned '." I do not advise you to follow these plans to the letter, but in spirit you may do so by introducing such observations as will rouse your hearers. When our Saviour desired particular attention, he would use these emphatic words, "Verily, verily, I say unto you;" or "he that hath ears to hear let him hear." A paraphrase of these expressions may suit your purpose; you may relieve a long argument, by an appeal in the midst of it; "I should not detain you, brethren, so long on this point, but that I consider it of the very greatest importance;" "I miss my aim," says Dean Milner, "if I do not make myself rightly understood;" "We would pause yet a moment," says Mr. Melvill, "on this truth, for it is worth your closest attention ;' "Let this be noted," says Walker, "as a most certain yet tremendous truth;” "Permit me here solemnly to address such and such a class." But when you thus particularly invite the attention of your hearers, take care not to disappoint them, but tell them something really worth hearing 2.

1 1 Tim. i. 5. See Bingham, i. 712.

2 Τοῦτο δ' ἐστὶν, ὥσπερ ἔφη Πρόδικος, ὅτε νυστάζοιεν οἱ ἀκροαταὶ παρεμβάλλειν τῆς πεντηκονταδράχμου αὐτοῖς.—Arist. Rhet. iii. 14. 9.