MODERN SERMONS.
[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECEATOIL"]
Sra,—I am interested in your paper on Modern Sermons and should much like to know what, in the opinion of your Scotch readers, is the chief difference between a Scotch and English sermon. I put this question once to two intelligent friends from over the Border and they both said, " A Scotehman preaches on a text; the Englishman uses his text merely as a peg." The following Sunday I had a good illustration of this. The sermon was on missionary work, and the text was from Isaiah xi. 9: "The earth shall be full," &c. The preacher Was eloquent, and at intervals repeated his text, which, however, had nothing to do with the sermon, though I thought it might have been used as a triumphant conclusion. On meeting my Scotch friends I asked them how a Sootchman would have tackled Isaiah xi. 9. With one voice they said no Scot would dream of preaching from such a verse, " for," added one, " it is not a text at all," and I realized it is a statement—a very different thing.
May I add a word in defence of the English sermon-maker, against whom so many darts are hurled these days? He is ordained to-day and preaches to-morrow. The Presbyterian minister has five years of study of this subject alone.—I am,
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