Introduction.—The vastness of the ocean. No one person has seen more than a small part of it. Power evidenced by storm and shipwrecks.
Discussion.—Five great divisions of the ocean. Use in nature, watering and tempering the land; in commerce, as a highway; in history, by dividing and uniting nations; its mystery, etc.
Conclusion.—Proof of the Creator’s power and wisdom found in the ocean.
The Same Plan Condensed.
Subject.—The Ocean.
1. Vastness and Power. 2. Parts, Use, and Mystery. 3. Evidence.
Dean Swift’s Sermon.
This eccentric clergyman once preached a sermon shorter than its own text, yet having all the three parts of which we have spoken. The text was Prov. xix, 20: “He that pitieth the poor lendeth to the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.”
The sermon was:
“Brethren, you hear the condition; if you like the security, down with the dust.”