Preaching and Preachers [pp. 454-483]

Preaching and Preachers.
in every language of Europe; and they stand at the head of
what may be called the modern school of preaching.
Space would fail us, if we were to enlarge upon Fenelon,
F16chier, Bridaine, and other pulpit orators of less note.
Chastely beautiful as is the style of Archbishop Fenelon, it is
not exactly that which belongs to eloquence. The saintly gen tleness of his temper, as well as the doctrines of Quietism which
he had embraced, were not the best preparations for passionate
oratory. Among his numerous and often delightful works, the
number of sermons is not very large. One reason of this may
be, that he favoured the extemporaneous method, of which, in
his Dialogue on Eloquence, he is the ablest vindicator. There
is a sermon of Fenelon's on Foreign Missions, which is full of
fine thoughts, and worthy of examination.
The Protestant Churches of France, and of the Refugees,
produced some great preachers, of whom the most famous are
Claude and Saurin. For solid doctrinal discussion, elaborated
into the form of eloquent discourse, the preacher last named
continues to be admired. In our own day, there has been a
revival of Protestant eloquence, in such men as Vinet, Grandpierre, and Adolphe Monod; and Parisian crowds still follow
Lacordaire, Ravignan, Felix, and de Courtier.
The subject has grown upon our hands, and must be dismissed, though we leave untouched the preaching of Germany
and Holland, of the contemporary Churches of Great Britain,
and the inviting field of the American pulpit.
An enterprising publisher might benefit himself and the
Church by issuing, under wise direction, a few volumes of sermons, which should contain none but master-pieces. There are
a few such, in each period, which stand out with great prominence, as exhibiting the highest characteristics of their
respective authors. In such a selection would be found Bourdaloue's Passion Sermon; Bossuet's Funeral Oration on Turenne; Massillon on the Small Number of the Elect; Barrow's
discourse on the Death of Christ; Jeremy Taylor's Marriage
Ring; Maclaurin's Glorying in the Cross; Edwards on " Their
feet shall slide in due time;" Davies's Bruised Reed; Mason's
Gospel to the Poor; Hall's Modern Inlfidelity; Chalmers's Expulsive Power of a New Affection; and Monod's "God is Love;"
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