1.  The  preparation  of  the  sermon  may  be  taken  in  a
narrower  and  a  wider  sense.  All  that  makes  the  preacher
also  makes  the  sermon.  The  entire  development  of  the
personality  as  the  channel  of  Truth  may  be  said  to  belong
to  the  preparation.  As  apostle,  prophet  and  scribe  the
preacher  is  getting  the  content  of  his  preaching.^  As
scholar,  sage,  seer  and  saint  he  is  fitting  himself  to  convey
the  message  he  receives.^  As  priest,  teacher,  pastor  and
evangelist  he  is  fixing  the  forms  of  his  preaching  by  its
purposes.^  It  seems  necessary  to  lay  stress  on  the  pre-
paration in  the  wider  sense,  as  on  that  will  depend  the
facility  and  the  excellence  of  the  preparation  in  the
narrower  sense.  Each  sermon  should  not  in  itself  be  an
immense  labour  and  crushing  care  to  the  preacher,  who
has  constantly  and  diligently  been  making  himself  fit  and


See  Part  II.  Chapter  I.  2  7^^-^^^  Chapter  II.
Ibid. ,  Chapter  III.
INTRODUCTORY  345

ready  for  the  task.^  It  should  be  a  free  and  happy
exercise  of  powers  that  have  been  fully  developed  by  a
fruitful  self-discipline.  It  should  not  be  necessary  for  him
to  spend  hours  in  trying  to  find  a  text ;  but  he  should  be
so  familiar  with  the  Scriptures  that  a  multitude  of  texts
should  be  at  his  command,  and  that  these  texts  should
suggest  their  treatment  at  once  because  he  so  thoroughly
knows  their  contexts.  It  should  not  be  necessary  for  him
to  search  high  and  low  for  material  for  his  sermon ;  but
he  should  be  so  much  at  home  in  Christian  thought  and
life  that  he  will  have  abundance  to  say  worth  hearing
about  doctrine  and  practice,  principle  and  application  alike.
