Mr. Moody, in an elevated tone of voice,
at once exclaimed, "And O Lord! we pray Thee, cure Ned Ingraham of that
ungodly strut," etc. Another time he prayed for a young lady in the
congregation and ended his invocation thus, "She asked me not to pray for
her in public, but I told her I would, and so I have, Amen."
Rev. Mr. Miles, while praying for rain, is said to have used this
extraordinary phraseology: "O Lord, Thou knowest we do not want Thee to
send us a rain which shall pour down in fury and swell our streams and
carry away our hay-cocks, fences, and bridges; but, Lord, we want it to
come drizzle-drozzle, drizzle-drozzle, for about a week, Amen."
They did not think it necessary always to give their congregations novel
thoughts and ideas nor fresh sermons. One minister, after being newly
ordained in his parish, preached the same sermon three Sundays in
succession; and a deacon was sent to him mildly to suggest a change. "Why,
no," he answered, "I can see no evidence yet that this one has produced any
effect."
Rev. Mr. Daggett, of Yale College, had an entire system of sermons which
took him four years to preach throughout. And for three successive years he
delivered once a year a sermon on the text, "Is Thy servant a dog that he
should do this thing?" And the fourth year he varied it with, "And the dog
did it."
Dr. Coggswell, of Canterbury, Connecticut, had a sermon which he thrust
upon his people every spring for many years as being suitable to the time
when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love.
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