McCheyne on Sermon Preparation

As we prepare for Sunday, here are a few more quotes on the subject of preparing well for preaching. These come from The Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray McCheyne, by Andrew Bonar.

‘anxious to give them on the Sabbath what had cost him somewhat, he never, without an urgent reason, went before them without much previous meditation and
prayer.’

‘in truth, he never preached without careful attention bestowed on his subject . . . He spoke from the pulpit as one earnestly occupied with the souls before him. He made them feel sympathy with what he spoke, for his own eye and heart were on them’.

‘And in the same spirit he carefully avoided the too common mode of accomodating texts,- fastening a doctrine on the words, not drawing it from the obvious connection of the passage. He endeavoured at all times to preach the mind of the Spirit in a passage; for he feared that to do otherwise would be to grieve the Spirit who had written it. Interpretation was thus a solemn matter to him’

‘His manner was first to ascertain the primary sense and application, and so proceed to handle it for present use’.

‘His exhortations flowed from his doctrine, and thus had both variety and power. He was systematic in this; for he observed: “Appeals to the careless, etc., come with
power on the back of some massy truth’ (He suggests this was Paul’s method as
well citing Acts 13:40 and Heb 2:1).

May his tribe increase!