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Show A QUAINT OLD SERMOX. The following is taken from the Penny Magazuie, published in London in the year 1832: Mr. Dodd was a minister who lived many years ago a few miles from Cambridge, Cam-bridge, England, and having preached several times against drunkenness, some of the Cambride students were very much offended, and thought he made reflections on them. Some little time after, Mr. Dodd was walking towards Cambridge, and met some of the gownsmen, who, as soon as they saw him at a distance, resolved to make ridicule of him. As soon as he came up, they accosted ac-costed him "Your servant, sir." He replied. "Your servant, gentlemen." They asked him if he had been preaching preach-ing very much against drunkenness of late? He answered in the affirmative. They then told him they had a favor to beg of him, and it was that he would preach a sermon to them then, from a short text they should choose. He argued that it was an imposition; imposi-tion; for a man ought to have some previous study before preaching. They said they would not put up with a denial, and insisted on him preaching immediately, in a hollow tree which stood by the road side, from the word "malt." Ho then began: Beloved : Let me crave your attention. at-tention. I am a little man; come at a short notice, to preach a short sermon, from a short text, to a thin congrega-. congrega-. don, in an unworthy pulpit. Beloved, my text is malt. I cannot divide it ' into sentences, there being none; nor into words, there being but one; I must, therefore, of necessity, divide it into letters which I find in my text to be these four m a 1 t M is moral. s J. is allegorical. L is literal. Tis theological. The moral is to teach you rustics good manners; therefore, M, my masters, mas-ters, A, all of you, L, leave off, T, t tippling. The allegorical is when ono thing is spoken of and another meant. The thing spoken of is "malt;" tho thing meant is tlio spirit of malt which you rustics make M, your meat, A, your apparel, L, your liberty, and T, your trust. The literal is according to tho letters M, much, A, alo, L, little, T, trust. Tho theological is according to the effects it works, in some, M, murder; in others, A, adultery; in all, L, looseness loose-ness of life; and in many, T, treachery. 1 shall conclude the subject, first by way of exhortation, M, my masters, A, all of you, L, listen, T, to my text. Second, by way of caution, M, my masters; A, all of you; L, look for; T, the truth. Third, by they way of communicating the truth, which is this: A drunkard is the annoyance of modesty, the spoil of civility, tho destruction of reason, the robber's agent, the ale house'sbene-factor, house'sbene-factor, his wile's soirow, his children's trouble, his own shame, his neighbor's scoff, a walking swill-bowl, the picture of a beast, the monster of a man. |
