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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Keep your abdomen in and your chest up. The way to look like a man is to be a man. Sometimes we hear people say, “only be natural.” No, it will not do for some men to be natural. It is “ perfectly natural” for some men to lose their heads when their heads are most needed. What an inspira tion. it is to look at some preachers, and others—how wooden they look. Do not step backward unless you want to lose the con- fid en ceof your audience. Do not march up and down the platform, foaming and raging. God is not in the thunder nor the fire, but in the still small voice. Perspira tion is not inspiration. It is the lightning, not the thunder, that strikes. 3 . With regard to the matter of gestures in the pulpit. The less gestures the better. When words are sufficient to convey the meaning, ges tures are unnecessary. Your words and voice ought to sufficiently emphasize the truth. Where there are few or no words, there is the great need o f gesture. Chil dren and deaf mutes gesture much, because they either express little or not at all by words. The right use of gesture is powerful, but over-gesture is weakness. The judges o f the Areopagus learned by experience the power o f gesture, and to avoid coming under 4 ts spell, they sometimes adopted the plan o f hearing pleas only in the darkness. The Italians criticize the lyiglish because they feel nothing and lack in gesture^ The Eng lish criticize the Italians because they feel everything and are like buffoons. Let the preacher strike the middle course. I f you gesture at all, do it properly. Ges tures ought to follow naturally as the expression o f the thought. Do not say you are sorry with a smiling face. Do not say “come” with the palm o f your hands away from you. Do not speak o f the heavens above with your hand pointing down to the earth beneath. Do not step back from your audience when speaking confidentially to it. Do not declare the love o f God with a clenched fist. The face is more important than any other part o f the body. Christ looked at
Peter, and that look broke the Apostle’s heart. Let as much expression as possible be given to the face. The gesture made by the hand is wrong when not justified by the face in advance. Horizontal gestures are usually weak. Never gesture below the waist. Do not put your thumbs in your vest or suspenders. Keep your hands out o f your pockets. Picture hills behind your audience, not in front o f them. Material things o f the world are on the horizontal line; the heavenly and ideal, above the hor izontal line and beyond your audience, not over your own head. Look in the direction o f a locative gesture. Do not point one way and look another. 4 . The voice: It was said o f the prophet Ezekiel: “And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song o f one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” Avoid two dangers: making two much, and making too little of the voice. It is something; it is much'; but it is not every thing. A man must have something to say. A good voice without s something to say would be a voice crying in the wilderness. Do not use a monotone; avoid it as you would disease. sSpurgeon said it was “ strange that a harp o f a thousand strings should play one note so long.” Ring the whole chime of bells in your steeple—bass, tenor, contralto, soprano. Do not speak too loud. It is true the Bible says, “ Cry aloud and Spare not,” but it also says, “Do thyself no harm.” We repeat, perspiration is not inspiration, and God is not always in the thunder, Why shout so as to be heard on the streets when there is no one on the street to hear you. The noisiest gun is not the one which carries the ball the farthest. “ Say, pa,” said, a little boy, “is God deaf?” “ No, my son'; but why do you ask?” “Well, that preacher prays so, loud.” Speak loud enough to be heard. Open your mouth when you speak. Artic ulate , and enunciate clearly. Throw your voice in front o f your mouth by means o f the vowel sounds. Let your voice be as
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