The Matter and the Manner of Preaching

The revival in Andrew Fuller studies in recent years has led to the recovery of his role as one of the most significant theologians, apologists, missions advocates, and denominational leaders in Baptist history. Additionally, Fuller maintained a vibrant preaching ministry in his own congregation and in the surrounding areas throughout his life. While his popularity grew with every passing controversy, it was preaching, not polemics, that afforded Fuller the most delight in his ministry. Neither an innovator nor an imitator, Fuller carefully developed his own approach to sermon composition and delivery based on his theological convictions and ministerial context. Crucial for Fuller in this process was Jean Claude's famous Essay on the Composition of a Sermon, which was first published in English in 1778. Claude's homiletical manual transformed the way many eighteenth-century preachers conceived of the sermon and left its own impact on the history of homiletics that has continued to the present day. Fuller is representative of this wider shift in the homiletical landscape as he sought to appropriate Claude's instructions to his own preaching and lead others to do the same.