Thoughts on preaching - Alexander - I - Paragraphs commenced

Required reading
Thoughts on preaching by J. W. Alexander (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence the section entitled 'Homiletical paragraphs' by reading 'paragraphs' 1 to 27.

My summary
Today we begin a new book.  The section we read today is part of a collection of paragraphs about preaching which were gathered from Alexander's private journals.

Bit hard to summarise a collection of paragraphs.  Instead I'll just give a list of the topics that the 27 'paragraphs' we read today were on: Formalism of Sermons, Avoid Abstractions, Memoriter Discourse, How to write Sermons, Diction, Reading the Scriptures, On Composing Sermons, Discuss some important point in every Sermon, Dwell on Good Thoughts, Concio ad meipsum, On Sermon writing, Offhand Writing, Earnest Preaching, New Sermons, Great Subjects, Themes for Preaching, Two Methods of Sermon writing, The Power of the Pulpit, Self repetition in Preaching, Scripture Citation in Preaching, Uninvited Trains of Thought, Not to be sought in Public, Where they come to us, We must live apart to gain these results, Thoughts on Extempore Preaching, Overhaul Sermons, On Writing down one's Thoughts, Give Scope to Freedom of Thought, Mode of Making a Brief, Trial of the above Rules, Hampered by a Skeleton, Sermons, Eloquence, Dividing Sermons, Examples, Application of Sermons, Fresh Writing, Genesis of Thought, Massillon's Method of Citation, Subjects for Sermons, Choosing Texts, Theological Preaching, Dr Channing, Preaching on Great Things, Theological Sermons.

What grabbed me
I liked the emphasis on studying the scriptures to prevent poor preaching: 'A man will be as his books. But of all means, none is so effectual as the perpetual study of the Scriptures. Let a man be interested in them day and night, continually labouring in this mine, and whether he write or not, he will be effectually secured against self-repetition. There is such profundity, comprehensiveness and variety in the Word of God, that it is a library of itself. There is such a freshness in its mode of presenting truth, that he who is perpetually conversant with it can scarcely be dull.'

Reading other books is helpful, but nothing compares to reading the Bible.

Next week's reading       
Continue the section entitled 'Homiletical paragraphs' by reading 'paragraphs' 28 to 73.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.