1.Mhubiri-Msomi wa Kizazi cha Waanzilishi1.A Preacher-Scholar of the Founding Generation

Broadus alizaliwa katika Kaunti ya Culpeper, Virginia, mwaka 1827. Alisoma katika Chuo Kikuu cha Virginia, ambako alifaulu katika lugha za kale, na tangu 1851 alihudumu kama mchungaji wa kanisa la Kibaptisti huko Charlottesville, mji wa chuo kikuu. Mwaka 1859 alikuwa mmoja wa maprofesa wanne waanzilishi wa Chuo cha Kitheolojia cha Wabaptisti wa Kusini huko Greenville, South Carolina, pamoja na James P. Boyce, Basil Manly Jr. na William Williams. Vita vya Wenyewe kwa Wenyewe upesi vilifunga chuo, na Broadus aliwahubiria askari wa Muungano wa Kusini kama kasisi wa jeshi. Chuo kilipofunguliwa tena mwaka 1865 kilikuwa na wanafunzi wachache sana. Hadithi inayosimuliwa mara nyingi inasema kwamba darasa lake la uhubiri mwaka huo lilikuwa na mwanafunzi mmoja tu, mtu kipofu, na kwamba Broadus alimwandalia mihadhara yake kwa uangalifu kama kwa ukumbi uliojaa. Mihadhara hiyo ikawa Treatise, iliyochapishwa kwa mara ya kwanza mwaka 1870. Chuo kilihamia Louisville, Kentucky, mwaka 1877, na Broadus alikuwa rais wake kuanzia 1889 hadi kifo chake mwaka 1895. Baada yake, Edwin C. Dargan alikirekebisha kitabu mwaka 1898, na Jesse B. Weatherspoon alikirekebisha tena mwaka 1944. Masomo katika kozi hii yanatumia toleo la kwanza la Broadus mwenyewe la mwaka 1870, lililo katika umma.Broadus was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1827. He studied at the University of Virginia, where he excelled in the ancient languages, and from 1851 he served as pastor of the Baptist church in Charlottesville, the university town. In 1859 he became one of the four founding professors of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina, alongside James P. Boyce, Basil Manly Jr. and William Williams. The Civil War soon closed the school, and Broadus preached to Confederate soldiers as a chaplain. When the seminary reopened in 1865 it had very few students. A story often told says that his homiletics class that year had only one student, a blind man, and that Broadus prepared his lectures for him as carefully as for a crowded hall. Those lectures grew into the Treatise, first published in 1870. The seminary moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1877, and Broadus served as its president from 1889 until his death in 1895. After him, Edwin C. Dargan revised the book in 1898, and Jesse B. Weatherspoon revised it again in 1944. The readings in this course use Broadus’s own first edition of 1870, which is in the public domain.

2.Kwa Nini Kuchukua Andiko Kabisa?2.Why Take a Text at All?

Broadus anaanza na neno. "Text" (andiko) linatokana na Kilatini textus, kitu kilichofumwa, utando wa hotuba. Neno hilo likaja kumaanisha maandishi yanayofuatana ambayo juu yake maoni hutolewa, tofauti na maoni yenyewe. Mahubiri ya mwanzo kabisa ya Kikristo yalikuwa maoni yanayoendelea juu ya vifungu virefu vya Maandiko, kwa hiyo uhubiri "mwanzoni ulikuwa wa kufafanua kifungu." Baadaye tu maandiko yakawa mafupi na mahubiri marefu. Je, desturi ya kuchukua andiko iendelee? Broadus anajibu ndiyo, kwa sababu inategemea kweli ya kina: "Kazi yetu ni kufundisha neno la Mungu." Kisha anataja faida sita. Andiko hukumbusha mhubiri na watu kwamba mahubiri yanaleta mafundisho ya Mungu, si hekima ya mhubiri, na hili hutoa mamlaka na ujasiri. Andiko zuri huamsha hamu mara moja. Husaidia wasikilizaji kukumbuka mkondo wa fikira. Hutoa nafasi ya kueleza kifungu cha Maandiko. Humzuia mhubiri asiyumbe mbali na mada za Kibiblia. Na huleta utofauti, kwa sababu akili iliyoachwa peke yake "mara nyingi itarudi katika mifereji yake ya zamani."Broadus starts with a word. “Text” comes from the Latin textus, something woven, the web of discourse. The word came to mean the connected writing on which a commentary is made, as distinct from the comments upon it. The earliest Christian sermons were running comments on long passages of Scripture, so preaching was “originally expository.” Only later did texts become short and sermons long. Should the custom of taking a text continue? Broadus answers yes, because it rests on a deep truth: “Our business is to teach God’s word.” He then lists six advantages. A text reminds preacher and people that the sermon brings God’s teaching, not the preacher’s wisdom, and this gives authority and confidence. A good text awakens interest at once. It helps hearers remember the train of thought. It gives the chance to explain a passage of Scripture. It keeps the preacher from wandering away from biblical subjects. And it brings variety, because a mind left to itself “will often fall back into its old ruts.”

3.Kanuni za Kuchagua Andiko3.Rules for Choosing a Text

Broadus anatoa kanuni za vitendo. Epuka maandiko yasiyoeleweka isipokuwa unaweza kweli kuyafanya wazi na yenye manufaa. Kuwa mwangalifu na vifungu vya ukuu mkubwa, vinavyoonekana kuahidi juhudi kubwa, na uvitangaze kwa unyenyekevu. Usichague andiko kwa sababu tu linaonekana la ajabu. Lakini usiepuke andiko kwa sababu linajulikana. Luther aliita mistari kama Yohana 3:16 "Biblia ndogo," na Broadus anatukumbusha kwamba "tunachohitaji si upya kamili, bali uchangamfu tu." Usipuuze sehemu yoyote ya Maandiko, Agano la Kale au Jipya. Usihubiri juu ya vifungu ambavyo uchunguzi wa matini unaonyesha kwamba havikuwa sehemu ya asili, kama 1 Yohana 5:7 au Matendo 8:37. Mfano wa pili ni wa kushangaza kwa Wabaptisti, kwa kuwa mstari huo una ungamo la imani kabla ya ubatizo. Broadus hatautumia kama andiko, kwa sababu unyofu ni muhimu kuliko ushahidi unaofaa; ubatizo wa waumini unasimama juu ya vifungu vingine. Usichukulie maneno ya watu wasiovuviwa yaliyoandikwa katika Biblia, kama marafiki wa Ayubu, kana kwamba ni mafundisho ya Mungu. Mwisho, weka mbele mahitaji ya kusanyiko. Weka daftari la maandiko yanayowezekana, na orodha ya mahubiri yaliyokwisha hubiriwa, pamoja na tarehe, mahali na andiko.Broadus offers practical rules. Avoid obscure texts unless you can truly make them clear and useful. Be careful with passages of great grandeur, which seem to promise a great effort, and announce them with modesty. Do not choose a text merely because it seems odd. But do not avoid a text because it is familiar. Luther called verses like John 3:16 “little Bibles,” and Broadus reminds us that “what we need is not absolute novelty, but simply freshness.” Do not neglect any part of Scripture, Old Testament or New. Do not preach on passages that textual study shows were not part of the original, such as 1 John 5:7 or Acts 8:37. That second example is striking for Baptists, since the verse contains a confession of faith before baptism. Broadus will not use it as a text, because honesty matters more than a convenient proof; believer’s baptism stands on other passages. Do not treat the sayings of uninspired people recorded in the Bible, like Job’s friends, as if they were divine teaching. Finally, keep in view the needs of the congregation. Keep a notebook of possible texts, and a list of sermons already preached, with date, place and text.

4.Wajibu Mzito wa Kufasiri4.A Solemn Duty to Interpret

Sura ya pili inageukia ufasiri. Yeyote anayetumia andiko na kuahidi kutumia mafundisho yake, asema Broadus, ana wajibu mzito: "tumefungwa kwa uzito kuliwakilisha andiko kuwa na maana ile ile hasa iliyo nayo." Hili linasikika dhahiri, hata hivyo anaona linavunjwa mara nyingi. Baadhi ya wahubiri wanakiri waziwazi kwamba mwandishi alimaanisha jambo moja, kisha wanatangaza kwamba watatumia maneno kwa maana nyingine. Broadus anajibu kwa ukali: "ndugu mheshimiwa, tazama unachofanya." Maneno yaliyovunjwa kutoka maana yake si Maandiko tena kabisa, ni sentensi ya mhubiri mwenyewe iliyojengwa kwa maneno ya Kibiblia. Hata hivyo Broadus si mgumu kupita kiasi. Andiko laweza kufundisha kanuni ambayo tunaitumia kwa visa vipya, mradi tunasema kwamba matumizi hayo ni yetu. "Mtu apandacho ndicho atakachovuna" cha Paulo kina matumizi mengi halali. Lakini mhubiri anayesema anatumia kifungu "kama kauli mbiu tu" hana haki ya kufanya kauli mbiu ya Kimaandiko imaanishe kile anachojua kwamba haimaanishi.The second chapter turns to interpretation. Whoever uses a text and undertakes to apply its teachings, Broadus says, has a solemn duty: “we are solemnly bound to represent the text as meaning precisely what it does mean.” This sounds obvious, yet he finds it often broken. Some preachers openly admit that the writer meant one thing and then announce that they will use the words in another sense. Broadus answers sharply: “honored brother, see what you are doing.” Words torn from their meaning are no longer Scripture at all, only the preacher’s own sentence built from biblical words. Broadus is not rigid, however. A text may teach a principle that we apply to new cases, so long as we say that the application is ours. Paul’s “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” has many lawful uses. But a preacher who says he uses a passage “merely as a motto” has no right to make a Scriptural motto mean what he knows it does not mean.

5.Vyanzo Vitatu vya Kosa5.Three Sources of Error

Broadus anataja makosa matatu ya kawaida. La kwanza ni kutoelewa maneno yenyewe. Wahubiri wengi husoma tafsiri, na hakuna tafsiri iliyo kamilifu. Lugha ya Kibiblia pia ni ya watu wa kawaida na ya kishairi, si ya kitaalamu. Mara nyingi husema kitu kwa ukamilifu wakati kinamaanisha kwa kulinganisha, kama Yesu anaposema mwanafunzi lazima "amchukie" baba na mama. Kosa la pili ni kupuuza muktadha. Hakuna mkulima wala mwanasheria ambaye angesoma sentensi moja ya mwongozo na kupuuza iliyobaki. Broadus analaumu mgawanyo wa Biblia katika sura na mistari, ulioongezwa karne nyingi baadaye kwa ajili ya rejeo na mara nyingi huvunja maana. Anapendekeza Biblia iliyochapishwa kwa aya. Kosa la tatu ni kufanya maana ya kiroho kupita kiasi isivyo sahihi, kutafuta maana zilizofichika kila mahali. Broadus anaifuatilia hadi kwa Philo na Origen, na anaonya kwamba uhubiri wa namna hiyo "mara nyingi ni kujenga majumba hewani tu." Agano Jipya lenyewe linachukulia baadhi ya matukio ya Agano la Kale kama vivuli (types) vya Kristo, na tunaweza kulifuata. Zaidi ya hapo, mhubiri anaweza kuchota mifano kutoka hadithi yoyote, lakini hapaswi kuiita maana ya andiko.Broadus names three common errors. The first is misunderstanding the words themselves. Most preachers read a translation, and no translation is perfect. Biblical language is also popular and poetic, not technical. It often states something absolutely when it means it relatively, as when Jesus says a disciple must “hate” father and mother. The second error is ignoring the connection. No farmer or lawyer would read one sentence of a manual and ignore the rest. Broadus blames the division of the Bible into chapters and verses, which were added centuries later for reference and often break the sense. He recommends a Bible printed in paragraphs. The third error is improper spiritualizing, finding hidden meanings everywhere. Broadus traces it to Philo and Origen, and warns that such preaching is “too often only building castles in the air.” The New Testament itself treats some Old Testament events as types of Christ, and we may follow it. Beyond that, a preacher may draw illustrations from any story, but must not call them the meaning of the text.

6.Maandiko Yanayopendwa Yaliyotumiwa Vibaya6.Favorite Texts Misused

Ili kuonyesha kwamba hili lina umuhimu, Broadus anachunguza maandiko yanayopendwa. Wakolosai 2:21, "Msishike, wala msionje, wala msiguse," lilichapishwa kwenye bendera dhidi ya kileo kikali, lakini Paulo ananukuu maneno haya kama kanuni zilizotungwa na wanadamu ambazo waumini hawapaswi kuzitii. Kutoka 2:9, "Mchukue mtoto huyu, ukaniyonyeshee," wakati mwingine linahubiriwa kwa walimu wa Shule ya Jumapili kama amri ya Mungu, lakini ni sauti ya binti ya Farao. Mithali 18:24, kuhusu rafiki aliye karibu kuliko ndugu, inasema juu ya urafiki wa kibinadamu, si moja kwa moja juu ya Kristo. Zaburi 23:4 mara nyingi husomwa kwenye mazishi tu, lakini "bonde la uvuli wa mauti" humaanisha bonde lenye giza kuu. Linajumuisha kishawishi, ugonjwa na huzuni, na kifo pia. Hapa, asema Broadus, usomaji sahihi "hauharibu, bali unapanua, maana yake." Anakiri gharama: "Mazoea haya yatamnyang'anya maandiko mengi, lakini yatamtajirisha kwa mengine mengi."To show that this matters, Broadus examines favorite texts. Colossians 2:21, “Touch not, taste not, handle not,” was printed on banners against strong drink, yet Paul quotes these words as man-made rules that believers should not obey. Exodus 2:9, “Take this child away, and nurse it for me,” is sometimes preached to Sunday school teachers as God’s command, but it is the voice of Pharaoh’s daughter. Proverbs 18:24, about a friend closer than a brother, speaks of human friendship, not directly of Christ. Psalm 23:4 is often read only at funerals, but “the valley of the shadow of death” means the darkest valley. It covers temptation, sickness and grief, and death too. Here, Broadus says, a correct reading “does not destroy, but widens, its significance.” He admits the cost: “This practice will rob him of many texts, but will enrich him with many others.”

7.Jinsi ya Kuchunguza Andiko7.How to Study a Text

Sura inaisha kwa kanuni fupi chanya. Fasiri kisarufi: tafuta maana sahihi ya maneno, kwa fahirisi ya maneno, tafsiri nzuri na tafsiri za maelezo zenye uangalifu. Broadus ananukuu Whately: "Kabla ya kuandika mahubiri yako, liangalie andiko lako kwa darubini." Fasiri kimantiki: mfuatano wa mawazo, wakati mwingine hoja ya kitabu kizima, hutoa nuru juu ya kila andiko, na muktadha hauanzi wala kuishia katika sura. Fasiri kihistoria: jiografia, desturi na makosa ambayo mwandishi alikuwa akiyarekebisha vyote husaidia; mgongano unaodhaniwa kati ya Paulo na Yakobo hupotea tunapoona kila mmoja alilenga nini. Fasiri kitamathali pale palipo na sababu nzuri, tukikumbuka kwamba lugha "yaweza kuwa ya kitamathali sana bila kuwa ya uongo." Fasiri kialegoria tu pale Maandiko yenyewe yanapotoa kibali wazi. Na fasiri kwa kupatana na mafundisho ya jumla ya Maandiko, yanayopatana. Chunguza pia marejeo mtambuka; wengi wamekuwa "hodari katika Maandiko" kwa kuyatumia katika usomaji wao wa kila siku. Broadus anawapa matumaini wasio na Kigiriki na Kiebrania: Mbaptisti Mwingereza Andrew Fuller alikuwa na ujuzi mdogo wa lugha hizo, lakini ufasiri wake ulikuwa "wazi na salama."The chapter ends with brief positive rules. Interpret grammatically: find the precise meaning of the words, with a concordance, good translations and careful commentaries. Broadus quotes Whately: “Before writing your sermon, look at your text with a microscope.” Interpret logically: the connection of thought, sometimes the argument of a whole book, throws light on every text, and the context does not begin or end with the chapter. Interpret historically: geography, customs and the errors the writer was correcting all help; the supposed contradiction between Paul and James disappears when we see what each was aiming at. Interpret figuratively where there is good reason, remembering that language “may be highly figurative without being fictitious.” Interpret allegorically only where Scripture itself gives clear warrant. And interpret in accordance with the general teachings of Scripture, which are harmonious. Check the cross-references too; many have become “mighty in the Scriptures” by using them in their daily reading. Broadus offers hope to those without Greek and Hebrew: the English Baptist Andrew Fuller had little knowledge of them, yet his interpretations were “clear and safe.”

8.Anachochukua Mhubiri Mbaptisti Leo8.What a Baptist Preacher Takes from It Today

Sura hizi zinaonyesha silika ya Kibaptisti. Wabaptisti kwa muda mrefu wamekiri kwamba Maandiko ni mamlaka ya mwisho kwa imani na mwenendo, juu ya kanuni za imani, mabaraza na desturi. Pia wanaamini kwamba kila mwamini anaweza kusoma Biblia na kupima asemayo mhubiri, kama Waberoya walivyofanya katika Matendo 17:11. Mimbari inayopotosha maandiko inasaliti imani zote mbili. Broadus anamwomba mhubiri asimame chini ya andiko, si juu yake. Ushauri wake unawafaa wachungaji wa Meksiko, Kuba na Amerika ya Kilatini yote wanaohubiri kutoka Reina-Valera na huenda wasisome Kigiriki kamwe. Mfano wa Fuller unaonyesha kwamba msomaji makini wa tafsiri nzuri, mwenye uchunguzi wa unyofu wa muktadha, bado anaweza kuhubiri kwa uaminifu. Mapokeo mengine ya Kikristo pia yanathamini ufasiri makini, na mengine yanatoa nafasi zaidi kwa mapokeo ya kanisa katika kusoma Maandiko. Kanuni ya Broadus ni rahisi na ya Kibaptisti: acha kifungu kiseme kile ambacho Mungu alisema kupitia hicho. Ufasiri wa ukali wa maana, anaahidi, "utatoa mengi zaidi ya unavyoondoa."These chapters express a Baptist instinct. Baptists have long confessed that Scripture is the final authority for faith and practice, above creeds, councils and custom. They also believe that each believer may read the Bible and test what the preacher says, as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11. A pulpit that twists texts betrays both convictions. Broadus asks the preacher to stand under the text, not over it. His counsel fits pastors in Mexico, Cuba and across Latin America who preach from the Reina-Valera and may never study Greek. Fuller’s example shows that a careful reader of a good translation, with honest study of the context, can still preach faithfully. Other Christian traditions also value careful interpretation, and some give more room to the church’s tradition in reading Scripture. Broadus’s rule is simple and Baptist: let the passage say what God said through it. Strict interpretation, he promises, “will give far more than it takes away.”

9.Kuuchukua Moyoni9.Taking It to Heart

1.Kitabu cha Mwalimu kwa Wahubiri1.A Teacher’s Book for Preachers

Treatise ilikua kutoka darasani kwa Broadus katika Chuo cha Kitheolojia cha Wabaptisti wa Kusini, alichosaidia kukianzisha mwaka 1859 na baadaye kukiongoza kama rais. Kinasomeka kama mwalimu mwenye hekima akisema na wanafunzi: kwa utaratibu, kwa vitendo na kimejaa mifano kutoka kwa wahubiri aliowasoma na kuwasikia. Katika sura hizi hajaribu kujenga mfumo wa kisayansi. Anasema wazi kwamba madarasa yake manne ya nyenzo "wakati mwingine huingiliana," kwa kuwa mfano waweza kueleza, kuthibitisha au kugusa moyo wote kwa wakati mmoja. Lengo lake ni la vitendo: kumsaidia mhubiri kukusanya, kuchagua na kutumia nyenzo zitakazotumikia kusudi la kila mahubiri. Broadus aliamini kwamba kazi kuu ya mhubiri ni "kukusanya," kwa kutazama, kusoma na kutafakari, "kisha kuchagua na kurekebisha." Sura zote mbili ni za kazi hiyo.The Treatise grew out of Broadus’s classroom at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which he helped to found in 1859 and later led as president. It reads like a wise teacher speaking to students: orderly, practical and full of examples from preachers he had read and heard. In these chapters he does not try to build a scientific system. He says plainly that his four classes of material “sometimes overlap,” since an illustration may explain, prove or move the heart all at once. His aim is practical: to help a preacher gather, choose and use the materials that will serve each sermon’s purpose. Broadus believed that the preacher’s great task is “to collect,” by observation, reading and reflection, “and then to select and adapt.” Both chapters belong to that task.

2.Kwa Nini Uhubiri Lazima Ufafanue2.Why Preaching Must Explain

Broadus anaona haja ya mara kwa mara ya ufafanuzi. Vifungu vingi vinaeleweka vibaya, na wasikilizaji wengi wameacha kutambua kwamba hawavielewi. Mafundisho muhimu yanajulikana kwa ukungu tu, na wale wanayoyakataa mara nyingi wanakataa kitu tofauti kabisa na fundisho halisi. Maswali ya kivitendo kuhusu lililo sawa na baya yanawatatiza waumini wa kweli. Kwa hiyo Broadus anasisitiza: "Uhubiri unapaswa kuwa si wa kushawishi na kuvuta tu, bali hasa wa kufundisha." Mara nyingi tunawabana watu kwa hoja na maombi wakati wanachohitaji kweli ni msaada wa wazi kuhusu cha kufanya na jinsi ya kukifanya. Na daima kuna wageni: watoto wanaokua, wageni wanaohamia, waliogeuka wanaoingia kanisani. Kisha zinakuja tahadhari nne za kawaida. Usijaribu kueleza kisicho kweli. Usijaribu kueleza usichokielewa, kwa maana, kama anavyouliza, "Mama wa nyumbani atapikaje kile ambacho hakijakamatwa kamwe?" Usijaribu kueleza kisichoweza kuelezwa, kama hali ya ndani ya Utatu; eleza yale Maandiko yanayofundisha kweli na usimame hapo. Na usipoteze muda kueleza kisichohitaji kuelezwa. Imani, asema, ni rahisi kiasi kwamba maelezo marefu hufanya ionekane ya fumbo tu. "Wajibu wetu mkuu ni kuwaambia watu nini cha kuamini, na kwa nini wanapaswa kukiamini."Broadus sees frequent need of explanation. Many passages are misunderstood, and many hearers have stopped noticing that they do not understand them. Important doctrines are known only vaguely, and those who reject them often reject something quite different from the real teaching. Practical questions about right and wrong perplex sincere believers. So Broadus insists: “Preaching ought to be not merely convincing and persuasive, but eminently instructive.” We often press people with arguments and appeals when what they really need is plain help about what to do and how to do it. And there are always newcomers: children growing up, strangers moving in, converts entering the church. Then come four homely cautions. Do not try to explain what is not true. Do not try to explain what you do not understand, for, as he asks, “How can the housewife cook what has never been caught?” Do not try to explain what cannot be explained, such as the inner nature of the Trinity; explain what Scripture does teach and stop there. And do not waste time explaining what needs no explanation. Faith, he says, is so simple that long explanations only make it seem mysterious. “Our main duty is to tell the people what to believe, and why they should believe it.”

3.Kufafanua Maandiko: Ufafanuzi, Usimulizi, Maelezo ya Picha3.Explaining Texts: Exposition, Narration, Description

Katika chumba cha kujifunzia mhubiri hutafuta maana ya kifungu; mimbarani lazima "awasilishe matokeo na si michakato." Kusiwe na maonyesho ya Kigiriki wala orodha ya majina ya wataalamu, ambayo Broadus anaiita "ujuzi wa bei rahisi." Maneno machache wazi, yanayotokana tu na kufikiri kwa makini, mara nyingi hueleza kifungu vizuri zaidi. Usimulizi, kusema hadithi za Biblia, lazima utumikie kusudi la mahubiri. Kwa mtu mkuu kama Musa, kwa kawaida ni bora kuchagua sifa moja, kama upole wake, na kusimulia tu kinachohusiana nayo, kuliko kusimulia upya maisha yake yote. Maelezo ya picha yanahitaji mhubiri aone kwanza tukio "kwa jicho la akili," kwa kujifunza jiografia na desturi kisha kuwazia mpaka picha iwe wazi. Kisha atoe muhtasari wa haraka na undani machache unaosema mengi, ili mawazo ya wasikilizaji yajaze iliyobaki. Broadus anamwazia Marta mlangoni huko Bethania, uso wake ukiwa moto kwa kukasirika, akijaribu kumshika Maria jicho. Lakini anaonya: "Epuka maelezo ya kina." Mhubiri hana wakati wa kuchora picha zilizokamilika.In the study the preacher works out the meaning of a passage; in the pulpit he must “present results and not processes.” There must be no parade of Greek and no list of learned names, which Broadus calls “cheap erudition.” A few clear words, which come only from close thinking, often explain a passage best. Narration, telling Bible stories, must serve the sermon’s purpose. With a great figure like Moses, it is usually better to choose one trait, such as his meekness, and tell only what bears on it, than to retell his whole life. Description requires that the preacher first see the scene “with the mind’s eye,” by studying geography and customs and then imagining until the picture is clear. Then he should give a quick outline and a few telling details, so that the hearers’ imagination fills in the rest. Broadus imagines Martha at the door at Bethany, her face heated with vexation, trying to catch Mary’s eye. But he warns: “Avoid elaborate description.” The preacher has no time to paint finished pictures.

4.Kufafanua Mada: Fasili, Kielelezo, Ulinganisho4.Explaining Subjects: Definition, Example, Comparison

Mada pia zinahitaji kufafanuliwa. Fasili huweka mipaka ya wazo, na mhubiri lazima daima afasili mada yake kwa nafsi yake, hata asipotamka fasili kwa sauti. Broadus anasema kwamba Waebrania 11:1 mara nyingi huitwa fasili ya imani, lakini kwa kweli ni kauli moja ya kweli kuhusu imani miongoni mwa nyingine. Kielelezo mara nyingi kina manufaa zaidi kuliko fasili. Itakuwa vigumu kueleza tofauti kati ya kiburi na majivuno kwa hadhira ya kawaida, lakini ni rahisi kuonyesha jinsi mtu mwenye kiburi na mtu mwenye majivuno wangetenda katika hali ile ile. Badala ya kueleza imani, mtu anaweza kumwelezea mwamini. Vielelezo kutoka historia ya Biblia ni bora kuliko vyote, kwa sababu vinajulikana na vinaeneza ujuzi wa Maandiko. Ulinganisho ni mojawapo ya njia za kawaida za kufafanua, na hapa Bwana Yesu ndiye kielelezo chetu. Wingi mkubwa wa mifano yake ni ulinganisho: "Ufalme wa mbinguni umefanana na…" Inaonyesha jinsi ufafanuzi ulivyo muhimu, na jinsi ilivyo busara kuchota ulinganisho kutoka mambo wanayoyajua wasikilizaji.Subjects need explaining too. Definition marks the limits of an idea, and the preacher must always define his subject to himself, even when he does not state the definition aloud. Broadus notes that Hebrews 11:1 is often called a definition of faith, but it is really one true statement about faith among others. Exemplification is often more useful than definition. It would be hard to define the difference between pride and vanity to a popular audience, but easy to show how a proud man and a vain man would act in the same situation. Instead of explaining faith, one may describe a believer. Examples from Bible history are the best of all, because they are familiar and they spread knowledge of the Scriptures. Comparison is among the commonest means of explanation, and here the Lord Jesus is our model. The great mass of His parables are comparisons: “The kingdom of heaven is like…” They show how important explanation is, and how wise it is to draw comparisons from things the hearers know.

5.Matumizi Mbalimbali ya Mifano5.The Many Uses of Illustration

Kuonyesha kwa mfano ni kutupa nuru, au mng'ao, juu ya mada. Broadus anataja matumizi yake: kueleza, kuthibitisha, kupamba na kuacha athari. Baadhi ya mifano hubeba hoja ya kweli kwa mlinganisho. Picha za Paulo katika Warumi 6 na 7, kufa kwa dhambi na kuwa hai kwa Mungu, watumwa wa haki na kuolewa na Kristo, si mapambo tu bali ni ushahidi. Hata hivyo Broadus anaonya kwamba ulinganisho mzuri waweza kuonekana kuthibitisha kile unachofanana nacho tu. Hadithi zinazochochea tu "hisia ya muda na isiyo na lengo" hazifanyi jema la kudumu. Matumizi yake sahihi ni kulainisha udongo, kisha kupanda mbegu ya kweli ya Mungu. Wasikilizaji mara nyingi husahau sentensi nzuri zaidi za mhubiri lakini hukumbuka hadithi rahisi. Kwa hiyo Broadus anahitimisha: "Umuhimu wa mifano katika uhubiri hauelezeki." Kwa watoto na watu wazima wengi "ni wa lazima kabisa." Na anaamua swali kwa sentensi moja: "Mfano wa Bwana wetu unaamua swali lote."To illustrate is to throw light, or lustre, on a subject. Broadus names their uses: to explain, to prove, to adorn and to render impressive. Some illustrations carry real argument by analogy. Paul’s pictures in Romans 6 and 7, dead to sin and alive to God, slaves of righteousness and married to Christ, are not just ornaments but proofs. Yet Broadus warns that a lovely comparison may seem to prove what it only resembles. Stories that only stir “a transient and aimless emotion” do no lasting good. Their right use is to soften the soil, then plant the seed of divine truth. Hearers often forget the preacher’s finest sentences but remember a simple story. So Broadus concludes: “The importance of illustration in preaching is beyond expression.” For children and most adults it is “simply indispensable.” And he settles the question with one sentence: “The example of our Lord decides the whole question.”

6.Mifano Inatoka Wapi6.Where Illustrations Come From

Mfano waweza kuchotwa "kutoka katika nyanja nzima ya kuwapo." Broadus anataja vyanzo sita. Kutazama kunakuja kwanza: asili, na hata zaidi maisha ya binadamu. Yesu alisema juu ya kupanda na mavuno, juu ya chachu na taa, juu ya wadeni, arusi na watoto wakicheza sokoni. Ubunifu safi ni halali ikiwa hadithi ni ya kweli kwa maisha na hatujifanyi kwamba ilitokea. Sayansi yaweza kutumika, lakini jihadhari na kukopa vifungu vikuu kutoka kwa wengine; ni "kuvaa silaha za Sauli." Historia na wasifu vina mvuto wa pekee. Habari za siku zaweza kutumika, lakini wahubiri wengine "hupata andiko kutoka Biblia, na mahubiri kutoka magazetini." Hadithi fupi za matukio lazima ziwe za kweli zikisimuliwa kama za kweli, na zisimuliwe bila "kupamba." Fasihi inatoa mengi, hasa The Pilgrim's Progress (Safari ya Msafiri) ya Mbaptisti John Bunyan, ambacho kila mhubiri anapaswa kukifahamu vizuri. Methali, fupi na kali, hubaki akilini mwa watu. Bora zaidi ya yote ni Maandiko yenyewe, yanayojulikana na wengi, matakatifu kwa wote, na yanayoeneza ujuzi wa Biblia kila yanapotumika.Illustration may be drawn “from the whole realm of existence.” Broadus names six sources. Observation comes first: nature, and even more human life. Jesus spoke of sowing and harvest, of leaven and lamps, of debtors, weddings and children playing in the market. Pure invention is lawful if the story is true to life and we do not pretend it happened. Science may serve, but beware of borrowing grand passages from others; it is “wearing Saul’s armor.” History and biography have a special charm. The news may be used, but some preachers “get the text from the Bible, and the sermon from the newspapers.” Anecdotes must be true if told as true, and told without “embellishment.” Literature offers much, above all The Pilgrim’s Progress by the Baptist John Bunyan, which every preacher should know well. Proverbs, short and sharp, stay in the people’s minds. Best of all is Scripture itself, familiar to many, sacred to all, and spreading knowledge of the Bible each time it is used.

7.Tahadhari Katika Kutumia Mifano7.Cautions in Using Illustration

Broadus anamaliza kwa tahadhari tatu. Usitumie kila mfano unaokuja akilini, wala kuutafuta kwa ajili yake; isiyo na manufaa ni "takataka" tu. Usiseme juu ya kuonyesha kwa mfano, onyesha tu. Na zaidi ya yote, usigeuze kamwe usikivu kutoka mada hadi mfano wenyewe. Onyo hilo ndilo moyo wa sura. Mifano ni watumishi. Mhubiri anapaswa kuendelea kuikusanya maisha yake yote, katika daftari au kumbukumbuni, lakini ili watu tu waone kweli kwa uwazi zaidi.Broadus ends with three cautions. Do not use every illustration that comes to mind, or seek them for their own sake; useless ones are only “lumber.” Do not talk about illustrating, just illustrate. And above all, never turn attention away from the subject to the illustration itself. That warning is the heart of the chapter. Illustrations are servants. A preacher should keep gathering them all his life, in a notebook or in memory, but only so that people may see the truth more clearly.

8.Anachochukua Mhubiri Mbaptisti Leo8.What a Baptist Preacher Takes from It Today

Miongoni mwa mabingwa wa mifano Broadus anataja Wabaptisti wawili: Charles Spurgeon wa London na mhubiri wa Wales Christmas Evans. Makanisa ya Kibaptisti daima yamejumuisha watu wengi wa kawaida wanaofanya kazi, na uhubiri wa Kibaptisti daima umehitaji ufafanuzi wazi na mifano hai. Vivyo hivyo Amerika ya Kilatini leo, ambako makutaniko mengi yanajumuisha watoto, waumini wapya na watu wenye elimu ndogo. Kihispania kina refranes (methali) nyingi, na Broadus angezitumia kwa furaha. Wabaptisti pia wanatambua kwamba Bwana alilipa kanisa lake picha mbili zinazoonekana za injili. Paulo anatumia ubatizo kueleza muungano na Kristo katika kifo chake na ufufuo wake (Warumi 6:4), na Meza ya Bwana inatangaza kifo cha Bwana hata ajapo (1 Wakorintho 11:26). Mhubiri anayejifunza kueleza na kuonyesha kwa mfano vizuri atajifunza pia kueleza maagizo haya vizuri. Zaidi ya yote, Broadus anaomba unyofu: hadithi za kweli zikisimuliwa kwa kweli, na mifano inayoelekeza kwa Kristo.Among the masters of illustration Broadus names two Baptists: Charles Spurgeon of London and the Welsh preacher Christmas Evans. Baptist churches have always included many plain working people, and Baptist preaching has always needed clear explanation and lively illustration. The same is true in Latin America today, where many congregations include children, new believers and people with little schooling. Spanish is rich in refranes, and Broadus would gladly have used them. Baptists also notice that the Lord gave His church two visible pictures of the gospel. Paul uses baptism to explain union with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:4), and the Lord’s Supper proclaims the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). A preacher who learns to explain and illustrate well will also learn to explain these ordinances well. Above all, Broadus asks for honesty: true stories told truly, and illustrations that point to Christ.

9.Kuuchukua Moyoni9.Taking It to Heart

1.Mhubiri kama Mhandisi wa Majengo1.The Preacher as Architect

"Kwa jambo hili," anaandika Broadus, "mzungumzaji ni mhandisi wa majengo." Mawe yale yale na mbao zile zile zaweza kuwa nyumba, gereza, kiwanda au kanisa, kulingana na mpango. Vivyo hivyo, mawazo yale yale yanaweza kufanya mahubiri tofauti sana. Mpangilio humsaidia mhubiri kwanza. Kujaribu kupanga mawazo yake kunapendekeza mapya; mpango wazi humsaidia kukumbuka anaposema bila vidokezo; na hisia zake hutiririka kwa uhuru tu anapohisi utaratibu. Mpangilio huwasaidia wasikilizaji hata zaidi. Huifanya mahubiri yaeleweke. Broadus ananukuu maneno ya kusikitisha ya msikilizaji mcha Mungu baada ya mahubiri yasiyo na utaratibu: "Sijui hasa mhubiri alihubiri nini." Utaratibu pia hufanya mahubiri yapendeze, yashawishi na yakumbukwe. Mtu anayevunja mwamba haupigi kila mahali, bali hupiga tena na tena kando ya mstari mmoja. Mpangilio mzuri, anahitimisha Broadus, una alama tatu: umoja, utaratibu na uwiano. Ustadi huo huenda usije kwa urahisi, lakini "kiwango cha kuridhisha cha mafanikio katika mpangilio hakika kiko ndani ya uwezo wa wote, mradi tu wako tayari kufanya kazi."“In this respect,” Broadus writes, “the speaker is an architect.” The same stones and timber may become a house, a jail, a factory or a church, depending on the plan. In the same way, the same thoughts may make very different sermons. Arrangement helps the preacher first. Trying to order his thoughts suggests new ones; a clear plan helps him remember when he speaks without notes; and his feelings flow freely only when he senses order. Arrangement helps the hearers even more. It makes the sermon intelligible. Broadus quotes the sad remark of a devout listener after a disorderly sermon: “I do not know exactly what the preacher preached about.” Order also makes a sermon pleasing, persuasive and memorable. A man breaking a rock does not hit it all over, but strikes again and again along one line. Good arrangement, Broadus concludes, has three marks: unity, order and proportion. Such skill may not come easily, but “a fair degree of success in arrangement is certainly within the reach of all, provided they are willing to work.”

2.Utangulizi: Baraza, Si Nyumba ya Pili2.The Introduction: A Porch, Not a Second House

Broadus anagawanya mahubiri katika sehemu tatu: utangulizi, mjadala na hitimisho. Mahubiri mengi yanahitaji utangulizi, kwa sababu watu hawapendi ghafla; jengo linaonekana vizuri zaidi likiwa na baraza. Malengo yake mawili ni kuwavutia wasikilizaji na kuwaandaa kuelewa. Mhubiri kijana alipouliza jinsi ya kupata usikivu wa kusanyiko, mkubwa wake alijibu, "Wape kitu cha kusikiliza." Utangulizi waweza kutoka kwenye andiko na muktadha wake, au kutoka kwenye mada. Utangulizi mzuri huongoza kwa asili kuingia katika mada bila kuiba nyenzo za mwili wa hotuba. Kwa kawaida unapaswa kuwasilisha wazo moja, kwa maana "hatutaki baraza la baraza." Unapaswa kuwa wa unyenyekevu, si wa kusisimua, na utayarishwe kwa uangalifu. Zaidi ya yote, usiwe mrefu mno. Mzee mmoja mnyenyekevu alimwambia mhubiri, "ulitushikilia sana kwenye baraza asubuhi ya leo hata hatukuingia ndani ya nyumba kabisa."Broadus divides a sermon into three parts: introduction, discussion and conclusion. Most sermons need an introduction, because people dislike abruptness; a building looks better with a porch. Its two aims are to interest the hearers and to prepare them to understand. When a young preacher asked how to get the congregation’s attention, an older one replied, “Give ’em something to attend to.” Introductions may come from the text and its context, or from the subject. A good introduction leads naturally into the theme without stealing material from the body. It should usually present one thought, since “we do not want a porch to a porch.” It should be modest, not sensational, and carefully prepared. Above all, it must not be too long. One plain old man told a preacher, “you kept us so long in the porch this morning that we hardly got into the house at all.”

3.Mjadala: Mpango, Pendekezo na Migawanyo3.The Discussion: Plan, Proposition and Divisions

Mwili wa mahubiri lazima uwe na mpango, au "si hotuba kabisa." Mhubiri anapaswa kutafuta si mpango tu bali mpango bora, rahisi na mpya. Mara nyingi anapaswa kutaja mada yake katika pendekezo wazi. Broadus analinganisha umbo la kimantiki, "Dini huzaa furaha," na la kibalagha, "Starehe za utauwa." Je, mahubiri yawe na migawanyo? Broadus anajibu kwamba si ya lazima, lakini kwa kawaida ni ya msaada, kwa wasikilizaji na kwa mhubiri. Mahubiri mara nyingi huwa na migawanyo mitatu, na Broadus anaeleza kwa nini: mitatu hutoa utofauti bila kulemea kumbukumbu, na mpango wa kawaida ni "Nini? Kwa nini? Kisha nini?", yaani eleza, thibitisha, tumia. Anashauri mara chache kuwa na vichwa zaidi ya vinne. Migawanyo lazima iwe dhahiri, isiingiliane, na yote ihusiane na mada kwa njia ile ile. Mipito iwe laini, na ni bora zaidi inapoonekana kidogo. Broadus anaongeza maelezo ya chini ya wazi: mwanafunzi mmoja alimkabidhi muhtasari wenye migawanyo midogo zaidi ya mia moja na ishirini. Uchambuzi ulikuwa karibu bila kasoro, lakini "ungefanya mahubiri yasiyovumilika."The body of the sermon must have a plan, or “it is not a discourse at all.” The preacher should seek not just a plan but the best plan, simple and fresh. Often he should state his subject in a clear proposition. Broadus contrasts a logical form, “Religion produces happiness,” with a rhetorical one, “The pleasures of piety.” Should a sermon have divisions? Broadus answers that they are not necessary, but usually helpful, for both hearers and preacher. Sermons often have three divisions, and Broadus explains why: three gives variety without burdening memory, and a common plan is simply “What? Why? What then?”, that is, explain, prove, apply. He advises seldom more than four heads. Divisions must be distinct, must not overlap, and must all relate to the subject in the same way. Transitions should be smooth, and are best when least noticed. Broadus adds a candid footnote: a student once handed him an outline with more than a hundred and twenty subdivisions. The analysis was almost faultless, but it “would have made an intolerable sermon.”

4.Hitimisho: Mto, Si Kinamasi4.The Conclusion: A River, Not a Marsh

Wahubiri mara chache hupuuza utangulizi lakini mara nyingi hupuuza hitimisho, ambalo ni muhimu zaidi. Wasemaji wakuu waliandaa maneno yao ya kufunga kwa uangalifu wa pekee. Mahubiri mengi sana hufifia mwishoni. "Hitimisho lilipaswa kutiririka kama mto," anaandika Broadus, lakini badala yake "hupotea katika kinamasi kikubwa fulani." Kwa hiyo hitimisho lazima litayarishwe daima, huku likiacha uhuru wa kulirekebisha wakati huo. Linaweza kujumuisha kurudia muhtasari wa nukta kuu, lakini yaliyomo yake makuu ni matumizi. Hata hivyo si kila mahubiri lazima yaishe kwa ombi la kuzidi nguvu. Mhubiri hapaswi kamwe kujifanya kuwa na hisia asizo nazo; hisia zikiwa zimefifia, anapaswa kuacha hitimisho la shauku alilolitayarisha. Hisia si lengo, bali njia ya kuhamisha mapenzi. Mawaidha ya mwisho yanapaswa kuwa mahususi kwa mada. Mahubiri yanapokuwa ya onyo au ya mwaliko, wakati mwingine ni asili kufunga na kitu cha mwelekeo kinyume. Na maneno ya mwisho yawe rahisi, si ya maonyesho. "Usifikirie sifa yako, ndugu mwema, bali wajibu wako, na wokovu wa wasikilizaji wako."Preachers seldom neglect the introduction but often neglect the conclusion, which is more important. Great orators prepared their closing words with special care. Too many sermons fade at the end. “The conclusion ought to have moved like a river,” Broadus writes, but instead it “loses itself in some great marsh.” So the conclusion should always be prepared, while leaving freedom to adapt it in the moment. It may include a recapitulation of the main points, but its chief content is application. Yet not every sermon must end in an overwhelming appeal. A preacher must never pretend feeling he does not have; if the feeling has faded, he should leave out the impassioned close he prepared. Emotion is not the goal, but a means of moving the will. A closing exhortation should be specific to the subject. When the sermon has been one of warning or of invitation, it is sometimes natural to close with something of the opposite tendency. And the last words should be simple, not showy. “Do not be thinking of your reputation, good brother, but of your responsibility, and of your hearers’ salvation.”

5.Aina Tatu za Mahubiri5.Three Kinds of Sermons

Kisha Broadus anaainisha mahubiri kwa muundo wake. Katika mahubiri ya mada, andiko linatoa mada, na mada hiyo hugawanywa kulingana na asili yake yenyewe. Umbo hili huhimiza umoja, kufikiri kimantiki na ushughulikiaji kamili wa fundisho. Ni bora zaidi mada inapokuwa mada mahususi ya andiko, si kauli mbiu legevu. Katika mahubiri ya andiko, migawanyo hutokana na andiko lenyewe. Kwa mfano, juu ya Zaburi 73:24, 26, Mungu ni yote katika yote kwa mwamini: "Mwongozi wake maishani. Msaada wake katika kifo. Fungu lake milele." Hili huwaweka watu katika mgusano wa karibu na Maandiko, ambayo, asema Broadus, wanayapenda. Aina ya tatu ni mahubiri ya ufafanuzi wa kifungu (expository), ambayo hushughulika hasa na kueleza kifungu cha Maandiko, kifupi au kirefu. Hakuna mstari mkali kati ya aina hizo; mtu hupita polepole kutoka uhubiri wa andiko hadi uhubiri wa ufafanuzi wa kifungu. Lakini kila moja inahitaji umoja. Broadus anaonya dhidi ya mahubiri ambayo ni "mfululizo wa maoni" tu, kama moto uliotawanyika wa askari wasio na mafunzo.Broadus then classifies sermons by their structure. In a subject sermon, the text supplies a subject, and the subject is then divided according to its own nature. This form encourages unity, logical thinking and full treatment of a doctrine. It is best when the subject is the specific theme of the text, not a loose motto. In a text sermon, the divisions come from the text itself. For example, on Psalm 73:24, 26, God is the believer’s all in all: “His guide through life. His support in death. His portion forever.” This keeps people in close contact with Scripture, which, Broadus notes, they love. The third kind is the expository sermon, which is mainly occupied with explaining a passage of Scripture, short or long. There is no sharp line between the kinds; one passes gradually from textual to expository preaching. But each needs unity. Broadus warns against sermons that are only “a series of remarks,” like the scattered fire of untrained soldiers.

6.Hoja ya Uhubiri wa Ufafanuzi wa Kifungu6.The Case for Expository Preaching

Wahubiri wengi walimwambia Broadus kwamba wanauamini uhubiri wa ufafanuzi wa kifungu lakini hawana kipawa cha kuufanya. Alijibu kwamba ni wachache waliowahi kujizoeza kwa ajili yake. Anataja faida zake: unalingana na wazo lenyewe la kuhubiri, ni njia ya zamani, hujenga ujuzi wa Maandiko katika muktadha wake, hujaza mahubiri na kweli ya Kibiblia, huleta vifungu ambavyo vingebaki bila kuhubiriwa kamwe, na hupunguza kishawishi cha kupotosha maandiko. Watu wakati mwingine hawaupendi, kwa sababu wahubiri wavivu "husoma kifungu cha Maandiko, na kutoa maoni machache." Tiba ni kazi ngumu. Hitaji kuu ni umoja. Mhubiri lazima asome kitabu kizima kabla ya kuanza mfululizo, achague na kukusanya undani badala ya kueleza kila mstari, na aweke muktadha mbele ya watu. Broadus anakiri kwamba jaribio lake mwenyewe la kwanza, mfululizo juu ya Wakolosai, lilihukumiwa "kwa jumla kuwa kushindwa kwa wazi." Broadus anahitimisha kwamba uhubiri wa ufafanuzi wa kifungu ni mgumu, lakini unakuwa rahisi na wa kufurahisha zaidi kwa kila mwaka wa mazoezi.Many preachers told Broadus that they believed in expository preaching but had no talent for it. He answered that few had ever trained themselves for it. He lists its advantages: it fits the very idea of preaching, it is the ancient method, it builds knowledge of Scripture in its connection, it fills sermons with biblical truth, it brings in passages that would otherwise never be preached, and it reduces the temptation to twist texts. People sometimes dislike it, because lazy preachers “read a passage of Scripture, and make a few remarks.” The cure is hard work. The great requirement is unity. The preacher must study the whole book before starting a series, select and group details instead of explaining every verse, and keep the connection before the people. Broadus admits that his own first attempt, a series on Colossians, was judged “on the whole a decided failure.” Broadus concludes that expository preaching is difficult, but grows easier and more delightful with every year of practice.

7.Anachochukua Mhubiri Mbaptisti Leo7.What a Baptist Preacher Takes from It Today

Makutaniko ya Kibaptisti hukusanyika kuzunguka Biblia iliyofunguliwa, na wachungaji wengi Wabaptisti leo huhubiri kupitia vitabu vizima, kama Broadus alivyohimiza. Ushauri wake unafaa vizuri kwa desturi hiyo: soma kitabu kizima kwanza, tafuta umoja wa kila kifungu, eleza tu kile kinachowatumikia watu, na tumia unapoendelea. Sura zake pia zinasema na nyakati mbili katika maisha ya kanisa la Kibaptisti. Kwanza, tukio la agizo (ordinance) laweza kuumba mahubiri. Kwenye ubatizo, utangulizi waweza kuanza na kile ambacho kusanyiko linakaribia kukiona, na mahubiri yaweza kueleza Warumi 6 au agizo la Bwana la kuwafanya mataifa wanafunzi (Mathayo 28:19–20). Kwenye Meza ya Bwana, mahubiri yaweza kuliongoza kanisa kukumbuka kifo cha Kristo. Pili, makanisa mengi ya Kibaptisti hufunga mahubiri kwa mwaliko wa kumwamini Kristo na kumfuata katika ubatizo. Ushauri wa Broadus unalinda wakati huo. Ombi linapaswa kuwa mahususi, la unyofu na la joto, kamwe la kutengenezwa. Kwa kuwa Wabaptisti huwabatiza tu wale wanaokiri imani, unyofu huo ni muhimu. Mapokeo mengine huumba mahubiri yao kwa njia tofauti, kwa mfano kuzunguka mpangilio wa masomo yaliyopangwa (lectionary), lakini wito wa Broadus wa umoja, utaratibu na uwiano unamtumikia kila mhubiri.Baptist congregations gather around an open Bible, and many Baptist pastors today preach through whole books, as Broadus urged. His counsel fits that practice well: study the whole book first, find the unity of each passage, explain only what serves the people, and apply as you go. His chapters also speak to two moments in Baptist church life. First, the occasion of an ordinance can shape a sermon. At a baptism, the introduction may begin with what the congregation is about to see, and the sermon may explain Romans 6 or the Great Commission. At the Lord’s Supper, the sermon may lead the church to remember Christ’s death. Second, many Baptist churches close the sermon with an invitation to trust Christ and to follow Him in baptism. Broadus’s advice protects that moment. The appeal should be specific, honest and warm, never manufactured. Since Baptists baptize only those who profess faith, such honesty matters. Other traditions shape their sermons differently, for example around a lectionary of assigned readings, but Broadus’s call for unity, order and proportion serves every preacher.

8.Kuuchukua Moyoni8.Taking It to Heart

1.Mtindo Unaoonyesha Wazo1.Style That Shows the Thought

"Sifa muhimu zaidi ya mtindo ni uwazi." Mtindo mzuri, asema Broadus, ni kama anga: unaonyesha wazo, lakini wenyewe hauonekani. Anaboresha taswira: mtindo mzuri ni kama stereoskopu, kifaa cha zamani kilichofanya picha za kupiga zionekane imara, kinachoipa fikira "umbo na uzito na muhtasari dhahiri." Wasikilizaji wengine hustaajabia giza la kuonekana kuu, kana kwamba linathibitisha elimu au kina. Broadus anataja mwalimu wa Roma ya kale aliyewaambia wanafunzi wake wafanye mawazo yao kuwa giza zaidi, na walimu Wabudha ambao maneno yao yalidhaniwa kuwa ya juu zaidi kadiri yalivyoeleweka kidogo. "Ole! kwamba wahubiri wa injili si wakati wote wanaokinga dhidi ya kishawishi hiki cha kusikitisha." Mhubiri hana udhuru kama huo. Sheria iliyo wazi, hati ya umiliki iliyo wazi, au dawa ya daktari iliyo wazi ni muhimu, lakini ni zaidi sana Neno la Mungu, "maneno ya uzima wa milele."“The most important property of style is perspicuity.” Good style, Broadus says, is like the air: it shows the thought, but is not itself seen. He improves the image: good style is like a stereoscope, the old viewer that made photographs look solid, which gives the thought “form and body and distinct outline.” Some hearers admire a grand-looking obscurity, as if it proved learning or depth. Broadus mentions a teacher in ancient Rome who told his pupils to make their ideas darker, and Buddhist teachers whose sayings were thought more sublime the less they were understood. “Alas! that preachers of the gospel are not always proof against this pitiful temptation.” The preacher has no such excuse. A clear law, a clear deed or a clear doctor’s prescription matters, but how much more the Word of God, “words of eternal life.”

2.Kwa Nini Mhubiri Lazima Awe Wazi2.Why the Preacher Must Be Clear

"Mhubiri amefungwa kwa uzito zaidi kuliko mtu mwingine yeyote kufanya lugha yake iwe wazi." Pia ana kazi ngumu kuliko wasemaji wengine, kwa sababu hadhira yake inajumuisha jinsia zote mbili, kila umri tangu utoto wa mapema, na kila ngazi ya elimu. Ugumu huu unapaswa kumfanya afanye kazi kwa bidii zaidi, kwa kuwa "ni jema gani linaloweza kufanywa, isipokuwa kwa kadiri tunavyoeleweka?" Giza linaweza pia kuleta madhara. Wasikilizaji wengine hufukuzwa. Wengine huelewa vibaya, na hivyo hugeuza dawa ya mhubiri kuwa sumu. Broadus ananukuu mwalimu wa Kirumi Quintilian: lazima tuchukue tahadhari "si kwamba iwezekane kwake kuelewa, bali kwamba isiwezekane kabisa kwake kutoelewa."“A preacher is more solemnly bound than any other person to make his language perspicuous.” He also has a harder task than other speakers, because his audience includes both sexes, every age from early childhood, and every level of education. This difficulty should only make him work harder, for “what good can be done, save in proportion as we are understood?” Obscurity may also do harm. Some hearers are repelled. Others misunderstand, and so turn the preacher’s medicine into poison. Broadus quotes the Roman teacher Quintilian: we must take care “not that it shall be possible for him to understand, but that it shall be utterly impossible for him not to understand.”

3.Maneno Ambayo Watu Wanayajua3.Words the People Know

Uwazi huanza na maneno. Broadus anaonya dhidi ya istilahi ambazo zimekuwa za kawaida kwa mhubiri lakini ambazo watu hawawezi kuelewa kabisa. Wahubiri wengi hujifunza kusahihisha hili, lakini wengine hawajifunzi kamwe, na hapo, kwa wasikilizaji wao wengi, mahubiri yao "yangeweza pia kutolewa kwa Kijerumani." Baadhi ya istilahi za kiufundi, kama kuzaliwa upya, haziwezi kuepukwa, lakini zinapaswa kuelezwa mara nyingi. Katika Kiingereza, Broadus anapendelea maneno mafupi ya nyumbani ya Kianglo-Saksoni yaliyojifunzwa utotoni, yanayobeba "hali ya kupendekeza" ya joto. Maneno wazi lazima pia yawe sahihi. Mhubiri anapaswa kutafuta istilahi sahihi kwa wazo lake na kujifunza tofauti ndogo kati ya maneno yanayoonekana kuwa sawa. Broadus anasimulia habari ya profesa mwenye kipawa aliyefanya kazi kwa bidii kupata neno sahihi, na anaongeza: "Ufasaha ni kipawa, lakini usahihi ni tunda la kazi."Clearness begins with words. Broadus warns against terms that have grown familiar to the preacher but that the people cannot understand at all. Most preachers learn to correct this, but some never do, and then, for most of their hearers, their sermons “might as well be delivered in German.” Some technical terms, like regeneration, cannot be avoided, but they should be explained often. In English, Broadus prefers the short, homely Anglo-Saxon words learned in childhood, which carry a warm “atmosphere of suggestion.” Clear words must also be exact. The preacher should seek the precise term for his thought and learn the fine differences between words that seem the same. Broadus tells of a gifted professor who worked hard to find the exact word, and adds: “Fluency is a gift, but precision is the fruit of labor.”

4.Sentensi, Aya na Kiasi Kifaacho cha Maneno4.Sentences, Paragraphs and the Right Amount of Words

Mchanganyiko wa sentensi fupi na ndefu ni bora. Sentensi ndefu zinazoshikilia maana hadi mwisho ni ngumu kwa wasikilizaji, na viwakilishi lazima vionyeshe wazi vinarejelea nini. Aya ni muhimu zaidi. Kila moja inapaswa kukuza wazo moja, ili yote yashikamane. Mhubiri anaposema bila vidokezo, anapaswa kufikiri kwa nukta badala ya kurasa, na "kushikamana na nukta yake." Watu wachache hujifunza kukuza nukta kwa utaratibu huu bila mazoezi ya kuandika aya. Kisha linakuja swali la urefu. Kauli fupi zaidi si wakati wote iliyo wazi zaidi. Broadus ananukuu ulinganisho wa kawaida wa Whately: farasi wanahitaji nyasi kavu na majani pamoja na nafaka, kwa sababu tumbo linahitaji wingi fulani; vivyo hivyo akili za kawaida zinahitaji muda kupokea wazo. Lakini maneno mengi ni mabaya zaidi kuliko ufupi uliokithiri, kwa sababu huchosha tu. Tiba ni kurudia kwa busara katika maumbo mbalimbali, mifano mbalimbali, na kugawanya wazo katika sehemu. Kusema kunatofautiana na kuandika. Katika kitabu waweza kurudi ukurasa mmoja nyuma, lakini katika mahubiri "kila sentensi hufa inapozaliwa."A mix of short and long sentences is best. Long sentences that hold the meaning until the end are hard for listeners, and pronouns must clearly show what they refer to. Paragraphs matter even more. Each should develop one thought, so that the whole hangs together. When speaking without notes, the preacher should think in points rather than pages, and “stick to your point.” Few men learn to develop a point in this orderly way without practice in writing paragraphs. Then comes the question of length. The briefest statement is not always the clearest. Broadus quotes Whately’s homely comparison: horses need hay and straw as well as grain, because the stomach needs some bulk; so ordinary minds need time to take in an idea. But wordiness is worse than too much brevity, because it only wearies. The cure is wise repetition in varied forms, varied illustration, and division of an idea into parts. Speaking differs from writing. In a book you can turn back a page, but in a sermon “each sentence perishes as it is born.”

5.Nguvu Huanza Kwa Mhubiri5.Energy Begins in the Preacher

Nguvu, asema Broadus, ndiyo inayofanya mtindo uwe wa kifasaha, na "hitaji kuu la mtindo wenye nguvu ni tabia yenye nguvu." Lazima kuwe na fikira hai, hisia za dhati na kusudi thabiti. Watu waoga wanaweza kugundua mengi zaidi ya hayo kuliko walivyotarajia, mazoezi yakiwapa ujasiri. Hitaji linalofuata ni "kitu cha kusema," kitu ambacho mhubiri anakiamini kweli na anahisi kwa undani kuwa ni muhimu. Hapa mhubiri ana faida kubwa, kwa sababu hakuna maslahi ya wakati yaliyo mazito kama ya milele. "Mzungumzaji mtakatifu mwenye nguvu kweli ni 'hodari katika Maandiko.'" Kuhusu maneno, istilahi mahususi zina nguvu kuliko za jumla. Broadus anarudia mfano wa Campbell: Wamisri "walizama kama risasi katika maji makuu" una nguvu zaidi sana kuliko "walianguka kama chuma." Na maneno ya Yesu juu ya maua yanapoteza uzuri wake yakibadilishwa kuwa "fikirini maua." Vivumishi vilivyoongezwa kwa ajili ya athari tu hudhoofisha sentensi. Ukikata tawi ili umpige mtu nalo, unapunguza maua.Energy, Broadus says, is what makes style eloquent, and “the chief requisite to an energetic style is an energetic nature.” There must be vigorous thought, earnest feeling and a firm purpose. Timid men may discover more of this than they expected, once practice gives them confidence. The next requisite is “something to say,” something the preacher truly believes and deeply feels to be important. Here the preacher has a great advantage, because no temporal interests are as weighty as eternal ones. “A truly mighty sacred orator is ‘mighty in the Scriptures.’” As to words, specific terms are stronger than general ones. Broadus repeats Campbell’s example: the Egyptians “sank as lead in the mighty waters” is far stronger than “fell as metal.” And Jesus’ words about the lilies lose their beauty if changed into “consider the flowers.” Adjectives added only for effect weaken a sentence. If you cut a bough to knock a man down with it, you trim away the blossoms.

6.Sentensi Imara na Tamathali Hai6.Strong Sentences and Living Figures

Mpangilio wa maneno hutoa nguvu. Mwanzo na mwisho wa sentensi ni mahali penye nguvu zaidi. "Fedha na dhahabu sina" ya Petro ina nguvu zaidi sana kuliko "Sina fedha na dhahabu." Tofauti pia hutoa nguvu, kama katika maneno ya Yesu kwamba Sabato ilifanyika kwa ajili ya mwanadamu. Lakini Broadus anaonya kwamba tofauti kali yaweza kuzidisha, "na ni jambo la kuhuzunisha kupata nguvu kwa gharama ya ukweli." Ufupi hutoa nguvu; "Nilikuja, niliona, nilishinda" ya Kaisari ni mfano wa kawaida. Adui wa ufupi ni wingi wa maneno, na mtu anayeunganisha misemo ya kuvutia hajatawala lugha yake; badala yake, "lugha yake ndiyo inayomtawala." Tamathali za usemi zaweza kuwa chanzo kikuu cha nguvu. Sitiari ina nguvu kuliko ulinganisho rahisi. Sinekidoke (synecdoche), kutaja sehemu kwa ajili ya jumla, hufanya kweli iwe hai: panga zilizopigwa kuwa majembe. Yesu alitumia kauli kali, kama kugeuza shavu la pili, ili hakuna mtu asahau kanuni. Maswali, kufanya vitu viwe watu (personification) na mazungumzo ya kuigiza yote hutoa uhai, lakini kila moja lazima litumiwe kwa kiasi na kwa ladha nzuri.Word order gives force. The beginning and end of a sentence are the strongest places. Peter’s “Silver and gold have I none” is far stronger than “I have no gold and silver.” Contrast gives force too, as in Jesus’ words that the Sabbath was made for man. But Broadus warns that a sharp contrast can exaggerate, “and it is a sad thing to gain force at the expense of truth.” Brevity gives energy; Caesar’s “I came, saw, conquered” is the classic case. The enemy of brevity is verbosity, and the man who strings striking phrases together does not command his language; rather, “his language has a command of him.” Figures of speech may be the chief source of energy. Metaphor is stronger than plain comparison. Synecdoche, naming a part for the whole, makes truth vivid: swords beaten into ploughshares. Jesus used extreme statements, such as turning the other cheek, so that no one would forget the principle. Questions, personification and dramatic dialogue all give life, but each must be used sparingly and with good taste.

7.Nguvu ya Uongo7.False Energy

Broadus anamaliza kwa maonyo. Kosa baya zaidi ni kuvaa nguvu ambayo mtu hahisi. Mojawapo ya masomo muhimu zaidi ambayo mhubiri anaweza kujifunza, asema, ni "kutojifanya kuwa na bidii ya mtindo au ya utoaji, wakati hana bidii ya hisia." Hisia lazima zikuzwe kwa kukaa na mada mpaka igusa moyo. Kosa la pili ni kujaribu kuweka kila sentensi katika kiwango kile kile cha juu. Utungaji, kama uchoraji, unahitaji mianga na vivuli; shauku inapaswa kupanda kwa mawimbi, ikiwa na nyakati tulivu zaidi katikati. Kosa la tatu ni nguvu ya uongo: mtindo wa kutetemeka, mtindo uliovimbishwa, au maneno ya mbwembwe, ambayo Longinus aliiita "si ukuu, bali kugusa mbingu kwa vilele." Broadus anabainisha kwamba zama zake zisizo na utulivu zilielekea kusisimka sana kwa mambo madogo, zikitumia hali ya kupindukia kila mahali. Wahubiri wengi leo wanakabiliwa na kishawishi hicho hicho.Broadus closes with warnings. The worst mistake is to put on an energy one does not feel. One of the most important lessons a preacher can learn, he says, is “not to assume earnestness of style or delivery, when he has not earnestness of feeling.” Feeling must be cultivated by staying with the subject until it moves the heart. A second mistake is trying to keep every sentence at the same high pitch. Composition, like painting, needs light and shade; passion should rise in waves, with quieter moments between. A third mistake is false energy: the jerky style, the inflated style, or bombast, which Longinus called “not sublime, but sky-scraping.” Broadus notes that his own restless age tended to get greatly excited over small matters, using superlatives everywhere. Many preachers today face the same temptation.

8.Anachochukua Mhubiri Mbaptisti Leo8.What a Baptist Preacher Takes from It Today

Makanisa ya Kibaptisti daima yamewakaribisha wakulima, wafanyakazi, watoto na waliogeuka wapya, na wahubiri wao wamehitaji lugha ya maisha ya kawaida. Broadus mwenyewe alikumbukwa kwa mwenendo rahisi, wa moja kwa moja na wa mazungumzo ambao wasikilizaji wa kawaida wangeweza kuufuata. Ushauri wake unawatumikia wachungaji wa Meksiko, Kuba na Amerika ya Kilatini yote, ambao wanaweza kuhubiri kwa wahitimu wa chuo kikuu na kwa watu ambao hawakumaliza shule katika ibada ile ile. Kihispania rahisi, sentensi fupi, picha halisi na hisia za unyofu zitawafikia wote. Ushauri huo huo unatumikia mafundisho juu ya maagizo. Mchungaji anapoeleza ubatizo wa waumini au maana ya Meza ya Bwana, maneno wazi ni muhimu kuliko msamiati wa kitheolojia, na picha hai za Maandiko, maziko na ufufuo, mkate na kikombe, hubeba nguvu yake yenyewe. Sifa mbili za Broadus ni za pamoja. Uwazi bila nguvu ni wa kuchosha, na nguvu bila uwazi ni kelele. Mhubiri aliye wazi na wa dhati anaitumikia kweli anayoihubiri.Baptist churches have always welcomed farmers, workers, children and new converts, and their preachers have needed the language of common life. Broadus himself was remembered for a simple, direct and conversational manner that ordinary hearers could follow. His counsel serves pastors in Mexico, Cuba and across Latin America, who may preach to university graduates and to people who never finished school in the same service. Plain Spanish, short sentences, concrete images and honest feeling will reach them all. The same counsel serves teaching on the ordinances. When a pastor explains believer’s baptism or the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, clear words matter more than theological vocabulary, and the vivid pictures of Scripture, burial and resurrection, bread and cup, carry their own force. Broadus’s two qualities belong together. Clearness without energy is dull, and energy without clearness is noise. A preacher who is both clear and earnest serves the truth he preaches.

9.Kuuchukua Moyoni9.Taking It to Heart

1.Njia Tatu za Kutoa Mahubiri1.Three Ways to Deliver a Sermon

"Kusoma, kukariri, kusema bila maandishi — ni njia ipi iliyo bora zaidi ya kuhubiri?" Broadus anaeleza zote tatu. Mhubiri anaweza kusoma mahubiri yaliyoandikwa, kukariri yale aliyoandika na kuyakariri, au kusema kwa uhuru, bila kutegemea hati wala maneno yaliyokaririwa. Kusema kwa uhuru kunaweza kufuata maandalizi kamili ya maandishi, mchoro, muhtasari makini akilini, au, katika dharura, hakuna maandalizi ya papo hapo kabisa. Historia inaonyesha zote tatu. Wasemaji wakuu wa Kigiriki na Kirumi mara chache walisoma. Kusoma mahubiri kukawa kawaida Uingereza wakati wa Henry VIII, wahubiri walipoandika maneno yao ili kujilinda dhidi ya mashtaka. Mwaka 1674 Mfalme Charles II hata aliwaamuru wahubiri wa Cambridge waache kusoma na kuhubiri "kwa kumbukumbu, bila vitabu." Broadus anakataa kufanya njia yoyote moja kuwa sheria. Baadhi ya wahubiri wenye nguvu hawakuweza kuandika neno; watu wenye kipaji kikubwa wanaweza kusema vizuri kwa njia yoyote. Lakini anauliza ni njia ipi "kwa jumla ni bora."“Reading, reciting, extemporaneous speaking — which is the best method of preaching?” Broadus describes the three. A preacher may read a written sermon, recite one he has written and memorized, or speak freely, without depending on a manuscript or on memorized words. Free speaking may follow full written preparation, a sketch, a careful outline in the mind, or, in an emergency, no immediate preparation at all. History shows all three. The great Greek and Roman orators seldom read. Reading sermons became common in England in the time of Henry VIII, when preachers wrote out their words to protect themselves from accusations. In 1674 King Charles II even ordered preachers at Cambridge to stop reading and to preach “by memory, without books.” Broadus refuses to make any one method a law. Some powerful preachers could not write a word; men of great talent can speak well in any way. But he asks which method is “generally best.”

2.Kusoma na Kukariri Kupimwa2.Reading and Reciting Weighed

Kusoma kuna faida za kweli. Kuandika kunaushikilia akili, kunalazimisha maandalizi kamili na kunang'arisha mtindo. Msomaji hulala vizuri zaidi usiku wa Jumamosi, ana mahubiri yake kwa matumizi ya baadaye na kuchapishwa, na hupata ustadi wa kalamu. Lakini gharama ni nzito. Kuandika mahubiri mawili kwa juma kunachukua saa ambazo wachungaji wenye shughuli wanazihitaji kwa masomo na watu. Mpango ulioandikwa ni mgumu kubadilishwa. Msomaji hupoteza uchangamfu unaotokana na kusanyiko hai. Zaidi ya yote, utoaji huumia: sauti huwa ya monotoni, miondoko huonekana si ya asili, na kugeuza ukurasa huvunja uchawi, kikitukumbusha kwamba "karatasi ile pale" imesimama kati ya mhubiri na watu. Msomaji pia hupoteza sehemu kubwa ya nguvu ya jicho. Ikiwa lazima usome, asema Broadus, usifiche; soma waziwazi na soma vizuri. Kukariri ni kusema kwa namna fulani, na hufunza kumbukumbu, lakini hugharimu muda mwingi zaidi na huleta hofu ya daima ya kusahau. Mhubiri maarufu wa Kifaransa Bourdaloue inasemekana alifumba macho wakati wa kuhubiri kwa kuogopa kuvurugwa. Broadus ananukuu utani wa Sydney Smith juu ya mzungumzaji anayetoa "hasira iliyochakaa, na bidii ya juma zima," na kuuliza: "je, ufundi unaweza kuficha ufundi?"Reading has real advantages. Writing fixes the mind, forces complete preparation and polishes style. The reader sleeps better on Saturday night, has his sermons for later use and publication, and gains skill with the pen. But the costs are heavy. Writing out two sermons a week consumes hours that busy pastors need for study and people. A written plan is hard to change. The reader loses the quickening that comes from the living congregation. Above all, delivery suffers: the voice grows monotonous, gestures seem unnatural, and the turn of a page breaks the spell, reminding us that “that paper there” stands between preacher and people. The reader also loses much of the power of the eye. If you must read, Broadus says, do not disguise it; read openly and read well. Recitation is speaking of a kind, and it trains memory, but it costs still more time and brings the constant dread of forgetting. The famous French preacher Bourdaloue reportedly kept his eyes shut while preaching for fear of being distracted. Broadus quotes Sydney Smith’s joke about an orator delivering “stale indignation, and fervor of a week old,” and asks: “can art conceal art?”

3.Kusema kwa Uhuru Kutoka Maandalizi Kamili3.Free Speaking from Full Preparation

Broadus anapendelea kusema kwa uhuru, bila maandishi (extemporaneous), lakini ni wazi kwamba hili halimaanishi kamwe kusema bila maandalizi. Watu wanaojivunia kwamba hawajiandai kamwe wanarudia tu waliyoyasema mara nyingi hapo awali. Wazo lazima litayarishwe kikamilifu; maneno tu ndiyo yanayoachwa kwa wakati huo. Kisha mhubiri anaweza kutumia mawazo yanayojitokeza anaposema, kujirekebisha kulingana na wasikilizaji, na kuacha mahubiri yake yote yapashwe joto na kitendo cha utoaji. Broadus anaongeza sababu ya kiroho: "Mtu anawezaje kuomba kwamba Mungu amwongoze kupitia msitu, wakati tayari ameweka alama njia nzima?" Kusema kwa uhuru pia ni njia ambayo watu wengi wa kawaida wanaipendelea, na Broadus anawaonya wahubiri wasomi wasijielimishe hata wakawa mbali na watu ("educate away from the people"). Anataja hatari kwa unyofu: kupuuza maandalizi, hofu ya kuandika, mtindo legevu, kauli zisizo makini. Tiba ni nidhamu thabiti. Andika mengi, ingawa si lazima mahubiri yenyewe. Linda afya yako. Uwe na ujuzi wako wa Maandiko, kama anavyosema, "ncha ya ulimi wake." Panga mahubiri kwa uangalifu, kisha uyafikirie tena na tena. Ukisahau, usisimame. Na kumbuka: "Kusema hadharani ni mojawapo ya mazoezi adhimu zaidi ya nguvu za binadamu; kuhubiri ni umbo lake la juu zaidi."Broadus favors free, or extemporaneous, speaking, but he is clear that this never means speaking without preparation. Men who boast that they never prepare only repeat what they have said many times before. The thought must be fully prepared; only the words are left to the moment. Then the preacher can use ideas that arise as he speaks, adapt to his hearers, and let his whole sermon be warmed by the act of delivery. Broadus adds a spiritual reason: “How can a man pray that God will guide him through a forest, when he has already blazed the entire path?” Free speaking is also the method most ordinary people prefer, and Broadus warns educated preachers not to “educate away from the people.” He names the dangers honestly: neglect of preparation, a dread of writing, loose style, careless statements. The remedies are steady discipline. Write much, though not necessarily the sermon itself. Guard your health. Have your knowledge of Scripture, as he puts it, “at his tongue’s end.” Arrange the sermon carefully, then think it through again and again. If you forget, do not stop. And remember: “Public speaking is one of the noblest exercises of the human powers; preaching is its highest form.”

4.Ibada Si Baraza4.Worship Is Not a Porch

Sehemu ya V inaanza kwa karipio. Katika makanisa mengi watu hufikiria uhubiri tu, na watu wema hata huita sehemu iliyobaki ya ibada "mazoezi ya awali." Wengine, wakihisi ukavu, wanataka kukopa liturujia rasmi. Broadus anajibu: "Lakini tiba iko mahali pengine." Anaandika: "Uhuru, hiari, urahisi, na hali ya kiroho ya ibada ya Agano Jipya lazima vidumishwe kwa gharama yoyote." Tiba ya ibada baridi si sherehe zaidi bali uangalifu zaidi: ibada "rahisi kabisa kwa umbo," lakini iliyojaa uhai, heshima na "utamu wa uzito." Mambo ya nje hayawezi kuumba utauwa, lakini maonyesho ya dhati huuimarisha. Kwa kuwa mchungaji wa kanisa huru, tofauti na kasisi anayefuata kitabu cha sala, lazima apange ibada mwenyewe kila juma, lazima ajiandae kwa ajili yake kwa uzito kama kwa mahubiri.Part V begins with a rebuke. In many churches people think only of the preaching, and good men even call the rest of the service the “preliminary exercises.” Some, feeling the dullness, want to borrow formal liturgies. Broadus answers: “But the remedy lies elsewhere.” He writes: “The freedom, spontaneity, simplicity, spirituality, of New Testament worship must be maintained at all costs.” The cure for cold worship is not more ceremony but more care: services that are “thoroughly simple in form,” yet full of life, reverence and “solemn sweetness.” Externals cannot create devotion, but earnest expression strengthens it. Because a free-church pastor, unlike a priest following a prayer book, must plan the service himself each week, he must prepare it as seriously as the sermon.

5.Maandiko, Nyimbo na Sala5.Scripture, Hymns and Prayer

Broadus anashughulikia kila sehemu kwa uangalifu. Usomaji wa Maandiko unastahili mazoezi, kwa kuwa "kusoma vizuri ni ustadi adimu." Chagua vifungu vya kimungu vinavyopatana na mahubiri, usijali mgawanyo wa sura maana inapohitaji, na usisome kamwe kifungu hadharani bila kukifahamu vizuri. Biblia ni "si kitabu kimoja tu bali maktaba," kwa hiyo hadithi, hoja na zaburi kila moja lazima isomwe kwa njia yake. Nyimbo hazikusudiwi hasa kufundisha bali "kueleza na kuchochea hisia za kimungu." Wimbo mzuri ni sahihi kimafundisho, wa kimungu, wa kishairi, wa mdundo na kamili. Wimbo wa kwanza uwe wimbo wa ibada, wa mwisho utumie mahubiri, na nyimbo zinazojulikana zisiepukwe. Uimbaji wa kusanyiko ni bora, na kwaya inapaswa kuuongoza, si kuuchukua nafasi. Sala ya hadhara ni "sehemu muhimu zaidi ya ibada ya hadhara." Broadus anauliza: ikiwa ni jambo la uzito "kuwaambia watu kwa niaba ya Mungu; je, ni la uzito mdogo zaidi tunaposema na Mungu kwa niaba ya watu?" Maandalizi maana yake ni sala ya faragha, ujuzi wa kina wa Maandiko, na mpangilio rahisi wa kuabudu, kuungama, kujitoa na maombezi. Sala isiwahubirie watu wala kuwasifu wageni, na kuita sala "ya kifasaha" ni sifa duni. Sala ziwe fupi badala ya ndefu, na mwenendo wa mhubiri mimbarani uwe rahisi na wa unyofu. Hatimaye, yote yanategemea Roho wa Mungu, na tabia: "ikiwa maisha ya mtu ni radi, maneno yake ni ngurumo."Broadus treats each part with care. The reading of Scripture deserves practice, since “to read well, is a rare accomplishment.” Choose devotional passages that harmonize with the sermon, ignore chapter breaks when the sense requires, and never read a passage in public without knowing it well. The Bible is “not so much a single book as a library,” so story, argument and psalm must each be read in its own way. Hymns are not mainly for instruction but “to express and quicken devotional feeling.” A good hymn is sound in doctrine, devotional, poetic, rhythmical and complete. The first hymn should be a hymn of worship, the last should apply the sermon, and familiar hymns should not be avoided. Congregational singing is best, and the choir should lead it, not replace it. Public prayer is “the most important part of public worship.” Broadus asks: if it is solemn “to speak to the people for God; is it less so when we speak to God for the people?” Preparation means private prayer, deep knowledge of Scripture, and a simple order of adoration, confession, dedication and intercession. Prayer must not preach to the people or flatter visitors, and to call a prayer “eloquent” is a poor compliment. Prayers should be shorter rather than longer, and the preacher’s conduct in the pulpit should be simple and sincere. Finally, all depends on the Spirit of God, and on character: “if a man’s life be lightning, his words are thunders.”

6.Kutoka Ibada ya Hadhara Hadi Maagizo6.From Public Worship to the Ordinances

Broadus alifundisha katika chuo ambacho kitivo chake cha waanzilishi, yeye akiwamo, kilitia sahihi Muhtasari wake wa Kanuni (Abstract of Principles, 1858). Unafundisha kwamba ubatizo ni kuzamishwa kwa mwamini ndani ya maji kwa jina la Baba, Mwana na Roho Mtakatifu, na kwamba Meza ya Bwana si dhabihu, bali ni ukumbusho wa kifo cha Kristo unaoimarisha imani na ushirika. Hapa CTS inatumia kanuni za Broadus. Kwanza, urahisi. Wabaptisti wametekeleza maagizo mawili, ubatizo wa waumini kwa kuzamishwa na Meza ya Bwana kama ukumbusho, kwa sababu wanaona haya yameamriwa na Kristo katika Agano Jipya. Ombi la Broadus la "urahisi, hali ya kiroho" ya Agano Jipya linawafaa vizuri: maji na mkate na kikombe havihitaji sherehe za ziada. Pili, Maandiko yakisomwa vizuri. Kwenye ubatizo, soma Mathayo 28:19–20 au Warumi 6:3–4, ambapo maziko na kufufuka huonyesha muungano na Kristo. Kwenye Meza, soma 1 Wakorintho 11:23–26 polepole na kwa uwazi, pamoja na wito wake wa kumkumbuka Bwana. Tatu, sala na nyimbo. Shukrani kwa ajili ya mkate na kikombe ziwe rahisi na za moyoni, si maonyesho, na nyimbo zifae furaha ya uzito ya kukumbuka msalaba. Nne, uchangamfu. Broadus anaonya juu ya "mwelekeo wa daima wa kuelekea urasmi," na Meza ya kila mwezi au robo mwaka waweza kuwa kawaida ya kawaida kwa urahisi. Maandalizi makini huiweka hai. Wakristo wengine wanaelewa matendo haya kwa njia tofauti: wengi huwabatiza watoto wachanga, na wengi huiona Meza kama sakramenti ambayo kwayo Kristo yupo kwa njia ya pekee. CTS inawaheshimu huku ikifundisha, katika kozi hii, kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Kibaptisti.Broadus taught at a seminary whose founding faculty, he among them, signed its Abstract of Principles (1858). It teaches that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that the Lord’s Supper is no sacrifice, but a memorial of Christ’s death that strengthens faith and fellowship. Here CTS applies Broadus’s principles. First, simplicity. Baptists have practised two ordinances, believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as a memorial, because they find these commanded by Christ in the New Testament. Broadus’s plea for New Testament “simplicity, spirituality” suits them well: the water and the bread and cup need no added ceremony. Second, Scripture well read. At a baptism, read Matthew 28:19–20 or Romans 6:3–4, where burial and rising picture union with Christ. At the Supper, read 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 slowly and clearly, with its call to remember the Lord. Third, prayer and hymns. Thanksgiving for the bread and the cup should be simple and heartfelt, not a display, and hymns should fit the solemn joy of remembering the cross. Fourth, freshness. Broadus warns of “the perpetual tendency to gravitate into formalism,” and a monthly or quarterly Supper can easily become routine. Careful preparation keeps it alive. Other Christians understand these acts differently: many baptize infants, and many see the Supper as a sacrament through which Christ is present in a special way. CTS respects them while teaching, in this course, from within the Baptist tradition.

7.Anachochukua Mhubiri Mbaptisti Leo7.What a Baptist Preacher Takes from It Today

Mhubiri Mbaptisti leo anachukua zawadi tatu kutoka somo hili. Kwanza, uwiano katika utoaji: tayarisha wazo kikamilifu, kisha sema kwa uhuru na moja kwa moja kwa watu walio mbele yako, ukiwatazama machoni na kumtegemea Roho Mtakatifu. Pili, mtazamo wa juu wa ibada nzima. Kusoma Maandiko, kuimba, kuomba, kubatiza na kushiriki Meza si matendo ya kujipasha joto kwa ajili ya mahubiri; ni ibada. Tatu, wito wa uadilifu, kwa kuwa kile alicho mhubiri hufikia mbali katika kuamua athari ya yale anayosema. Broadus pia lazima asomwe kwa uangalifu. Alihudumu kama kasisi wa jeshi la Muungano wa Kusini, na mwaka 2018 Chuo cha Kitheolojia cha Wabaptisti wa Kusini chenyewe kilikiri uhusiano mzito wa waanzilishi wake na utumwa. Katika maelezo moja ya chini Broadus anawahimiza wahubiri bado "watangaze" nyimbo mstari kwa mstari kwa ajili ya wasioweza kusoma, "weupe pamoja na watu wa rangi (colored)." Wasiwasi wake wa kichungaji ni wa kweli, lakini maneno yanaakisi jamii isiyo ya haki iliyowanyima wengi elimu. CTS inakataa ubaguzi wa rangi na inapokea hekima ya kudumu ya Broadus kuhusu kuhubiri huku ikitaja kasoro kama hizo kwa unyofu.A Baptist preacher today takes three gifts from this reading. First, a balance in delivery: prepare the thought fully, then speak freely and directly to the people in front of you, looking them in the eye and trusting the Holy Spirit. Second, a high view of the whole service. Reading Scripture, singing, praying, baptizing and sharing the Supper are not warm-up acts for the sermon; they are worship. Third, a call to integrity, since what a preacher is goes far to determine the effect of what he says. Broadus must also be read carefully. He served as a Confederate chaplain, and in 2018 the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary itself acknowledged its founders’ deep ties to slavery. In one footnote Broadus urges preachers still to “give out” hymns line by line for those who cannot read, “white as well as colored.” His pastoral concern is real, but the wording reflects an unjust society that had denied education to many. CTS rejects racism and receives Broadus’s lasting wisdom about preaching while naming such failures honestly.

8.Kuuchukua Moyoni8.Taking It to Heart