1.E 02. Writing and Extemporizing

Writing and Extemporizing.

Then, again, different personal temperaments and habits may have very much to do with your mode of preaching; and the ever-open question comes up, “ Shall I write my sermons, or shall I extemporize?” That depends, to a very considerable extent, upon a man’s temperament. If he be extremely sensitive and fastidious by nature, and withal somewhat secretive and cautious, it would frequently be almost impossible for him to extemporize with fluency.

Sometimes men are so oppressed under the influence of an audience that they cannot possibly think in its presence. Drill and long habit may alter this; but still, if it is rooted in a man’s nature, he may never conquer it. And after all, the real thing for him to do is to preach; and whether he write his sermon or speak it without writing, let him see that he trains himself to do his work. This question is the same as asking, “Is it best for a man who is going hunting to take out cartridge-shells already loaded for his gun, or shall he take loose ammunition and load with powder and shot, according to circumstances, every time he is going to shoot? “ Now, that is a fair question, and there is a great deal to be said on the subject. But, after all, the man who goes where the game is, always finding it and bringing it home with him, is the best hunter; and I care not whether he carry fixed or loose ammunition. That is the best cat that catches the most rats. And in your case that will be the best form of sermon that does the work of a sermon the best. If you can do best by writing, write your sermons; and if you can do better by not writing, do not write them. This merely by way of illustrating the difficulty there is in giving specific directions in matters of preaching.