Five Sermons — Themes and Context

Occasion as Structure

Each sermon is tied to a specific event: the opening of the General Convention, the centennial of Washington's inauguration, the Missionary Council in Washington, the Lambeth Conference, and the Brotherhood of St. Andrew convention. Whipple uses these occasions not merely as settings but as structural pivots. In the first sermon, the centennial of the General Convention becomes a lens to review church history from the discovery of America onward. The second sermon, on Washington's inauguration, likely connects civil and religious governance. The third and fifth, reported by a stenographer, may show a more spontaneous rhetorical style. Readers should note how the occasion shapes the sermon's argument and emotional register.

Narrative Vignettes as Evidence

Whipple frequently embeds brief, vivid stories to support his points. In the excerpt on Africa, he recounts David Livingstone's death—found on his knees in prayer—and the extraordinary journey of his body by African carriers who fought tribes and swam rivers to deliver him to Zanzibar. He then quotes Stanley's conversion from press reporter to missionary follower. Another vignette describes Bishop Crowther, captured as a boy on a slave ship, who became a bishop. Whipple also tells of Bishop Smythies, whose gentle face and willingness to die in Africa moved him to tears. These narratives serve as evidence of missionary sacrifice and divine calling.

Rhetorical Contrasts and Appeals

Whipple employs stark contrasts to drive his message. He juxtaposes Spain's forfeited mission due to greed with England's providential role. He contrasts the false prophet's followers engaging in the slave trade with Christian missions. He sets the past cannibalism of Australasia against the present Christian bishops. His emotional appeals are direct: he cannot keep back tears when speaking of Smythies, and he reports Stanley's heart being touched. The sermons also use direct address—"Brethren"—and rhetorical questions, such as "Is he crazy? Is he cracked?" These devices create a sense of immediacy and personal engagement.

Theological and Historical Assumptions

Whipple's sermons rest on specific theological claims: the visible Church, apostolic succession, sacraments as channels of grace, and the authority of Scripture and creeds. He assumes a providential view of history, where America's discovery and colonization were divinely orchestrated. He also assumes the superiority of Christian civilization over Islam and paganism. Readers should note that these assumptions are stated, not argued; they form the foundation for his exhortations. The sermons do not engage with alternative views but rather reinforce a shared worldview with his audience, making them a window into late 19th-century Episcopal missionary thought.

These five sermons reward attention to their specific occasions, narrative inserts, and rhetorical strategies. Whipple's voice shifts between doctrinal exposition, historical narrative, and emotional appeal. Readers may find it useful to compare the two sermons reported by a stenographer with the others to detect differences in spontaneity. The preface notes that repetition of incidents was intentional for historical statement, so recurring motifs—like the story of Livingstone—are deliberate rather than careless.

Reading Bishop Whipple’s sermons, I felt that quiet gravity of a man speaking to his own time. It reminded me of old leather-bound volumes on a high shelf, and how certain voices echo across centuries. Something in his measured hope brought back The World's Great Sermons, Volume 01: Basil to Calvin — Story, Setting & Ideas, a collection that lingers with the same patient warmth.