E. N. W.
Southwark, June 2.
Written Sermons (Vol. iii., p. 478.).
—If M. C. L. asks, when and why written sermons took the place of extemporaneous discourses, I believe it may be said that written sermons were first in vogue. Certainly, the inability of most men to preach "without book," would be sufficient to ensure their early introduction. According to Bingham (see Ant. of the Christian Church, book xiv. chap. 4.), Origen was the first who preached extemporaneously, and not until after he was sixty years old. The great divines of the time of the English Reformation preached both written and oral sermons: many of these, especially of the former, are included in their printed works. The same remark also applies to the early Fathers of the Church. The use of the homilies, which were drawn up for the ignorant clergy at the Reformation, at once gave a sanction to the practice of writing sermons. The story of the preacher turning over his hour-glass at Paul's Cross, and starting afresh, must of course refer to an unwritten discourse. Sermons, being explications of scripture, used to follow the reading of the psalms and lessons: now, for the same reason, they come after the epistle and gospel. In olden time, the bishop was the only preacher, going from church to church, as now-a-days[2], with the same sermon or charge; and he addressed the people from the altar steps: afterwards the priest, as his deputy, preached in the pulpit, but the deacons were not allowed to preach at all.
[2] One of the highest dignitaries in our Church recently declined to print a sermon, as requested; because, he frankly said, he should want to preach it again.
ALFRED GATTY.
Bogatsky (Vol. iii., p. 478.).
—The little work, so justly popular in England, under the title of Bogatsky's Golden Treasury, is by no means a literal translation of the original; but was almost entirely re-written by Venn, the author of the Complete Duty of Man. This I state on good authority, as I believe; but I have never seen the original.
R. D. H.