<p>When this sermon was preached, the average listener had a considerably greater attention span than his modern counterpart. The reader may therefore be daunted by the length of the sermon. I had considered abridging it, but finally decided not to.<br><br>Some readers will also complain that it gets off to a slow start. This is standard for an extended speech in any context. An experienced speaker intending to speak at length will give his audie...