Sermons for the Day — Inside the Classic

A Controversialist's Rhetoric

Hoare's prose is shaped by the exigencies of religious controversy. He anticipates objections—some 'shrink from the trouble of controversy,' others deem it 'uncharitable'—and answers them directly. His sentences are often long and periodic, building toward a climactic point: 'It is high time, therefore, that we should understand the ground of our solemn protest against Rome.' The repetition of 'we' and 'our' creates a communal voice, positioning the congregation as a body under threat. Hoare does not merely explain doctrine; he exhorts, using rhetorical questions and direct address to draw listeners into reasoned conviction.

The Logic of Sacrifice

In the second excerpt, Hoare distinguishes between Christ's 'one sacrifice for sins for ever' and the believer's response: 'present your bodies a living sacrifice.' He traces a careful sequence: confession, communion, then self-offering. The relationship is causal—'our sacrifice is the result of our deep sense of unmerited mercy.' Hoare diagnoses a lack of self-sacrifice among the faithful as stemming from a failure to 'deeply feel' the grace of Christ. His metaphor of paint 'lying on the surface' versus being 'burnt into us' captures his concern for inward appropriation over mere doctrinal correctness.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

The sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 shifts focus from controversy to the nature of ministry. Hoare acknowledges that the work of ministry is 'carried on by common men, with common flesh and blood, exposed to the common temptations of common life.' This repetition of 'common' underscores human frailty. Yet the message is divine: 'God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.' Hoare's diction here is less combative, more pastoral, as he explores the paradox of a holy commission entrusted to imperfect agents. The phrase 'word of reconciliation' becomes a thread linking the preacher's authority to the gospel's content.

Diction and Devotional Urgency

Throughout these excerpts, Hoare's vocabulary reflects his dual role as theologian and pastor. He uses terms like 'blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits' (quoting the Articles) alongside intimate appeals: 'Simply to Thy cross I cling.' The shift from public polemic to personal piety is deliberate. Hoare's sentences often end with imperatives or pointed questions: 'What is it, then, that we want?' This pattern creates a rhythm of diagnosis and prescription. His imagery—stormy seas, paint on a surface, a sacrifice offered—is concrete and memorable, designed to lodge in the hearer's mind and prompt self-examination.

Readers approaching these sermons should attend to Hoare's method: he builds each argument on a scriptural text, then applies it to the spiritual condition of his audience. His language is both precise and passionate, reflecting a mind engaged in urgent theological debate. The sermons reward careful reading for their rhetorical structure and their window into Victorian Anglican responses to ritualism and Roman Catholic revival.

There’s something tender in Hoare’s insistence that Christ’s sacrifice must be felt, not just recited—it lingers like an old hymn you half-remember. Reading it, I found myself thinking of how quietly unity once rested on shared obedience rather than persuasion, a thread that runs through Obedience to the Articles and Rubrics of the Church of England a Bond of Union between the Established Clergy — Key Ideas to Explore. Both feel like letters from a calmer age.