Reformation Faith Today

Puritanical! That usually carries some negative connotations. One online dictionary defines it as “of, relating to, or characterized by a rigid morality.” The obvious implication is that of or relating to the Puritans has negative rigidity connotations. Perhaps a synonym would be prudish.

But that is a poor word picture of the Puritans (more on that in another post). For now, suffice it to say that the Puritans are considered by many to have been some of the best preachers ever. They were excellent at what might be called experimental preaching. Joel Beeke says that

Experimental preaching stresses the need to know by experience the truths of the Word of God. It seeks to explain in terms of biblical truth, how matters ought to go, and how they do go, in the Christian life. It aims to apply divine truth to the whole range of the believer’s experience: in his walk with God as well as his relationship with family, the church, and the world around him.

Donna Campbell, a professor of English at Washington State University describes the structure of the Puritan sermon this way:

Origins:

Origins in Cicero’s dicta that oratory should instruct, convince, and excite the listener.
Parts of an Oration (based on Cicero)

A. Exordium,or introduction.  Wilhelm Zepper (1598) compared this to the opening bars of a piece of music that renders the audience attentive.  Puritan writers, however, “condemned the exordium because it was first of all unnecessary to true believers, who should be sufficiently regardful of the preacher without any artificial capturing of their attention” (Miller, New England Mind 340).B. Narration, or Statement of the Case. Causes and circumstances of the text.
C. Proposition or Partition of the Case.   Statement of the doctrine or theological position.
D. Confirmation or Proof. Demonstration of the truth of the position to the intellect.
E. Refutation. Rebuttal of objections and heresies.
F. Peroration. Recapitulation and amplification of the argument designed to arouse emotion in the listener.

Structure:

Parts of a Sermon
A.Laying open the text

1. Grammatical meaning
2. Logical meaning
3. Figurative meaning

B. Doctrine

1. Partition and division of the topic
2. Collects profitable points of Scripture

C. Reasons

1. Demonstration of the truth of the doctrine
2. Leads to rational conviction

D. Application
E. Epilogue

1. Magnifies arguments
2. Leaves listener well-disposed, refreshed, and stimulated to further action

Perry Miller, The New England Mind: “The Anglican sermon is constructed on a symphonic scheme of progressively widening vision; it moves from point to point by verbal analysis, weaving larger and larger embroideries about the words of the text.  The Puritan sermon quotes the text and “opens” it as briefly as possible, expounding circumstances and context, explaining its grammatical meanings, reducing its tropes and schemata to prose, and setting forth its logical implications; the sermon then proclaims in a flat, indicative sentence the “doctrine” contained in the text or logically deduced from it, and proceeds to the first reason or proof.   Reason follows reason, with no other transition than a period and a number; after the last proof is stated there follow the uses or applications, also in numbered sequence, and the sermon ends when there is nothing more to be said. The Anglican sermon opens with a pianissimo exordium, gathers momentum through a rising and quickening tempo, comes generally to a rolling, organ-toned peroration; the Puritan begins with a reading of the text, states the reason in an order determined by logic, and the uses in an enumeration determined by the kinds of person in the throng who need to be exhorted or reproved, and it stops without flourish or resounding climax” (332-3). 

What do you think of this kind of sermon construction?

To provide an example, I have placed below a sermon by Thomas Watson. Read Watson’s sermon titled Mystic Union bewteen Christ and the Saints.

watson-sermon.doc