Sermons, To the reader – Table of contents
TO ALL TRVE CHRISTIANS, AND WELWILLERS TO to the Goſpel, or ſuch as yet are further off from the power of it, whom the Lord in time may call: Richard Rogers wiſheth al good that they want to make them trulie happie for euer.
CHriſtian and gentle Reader, I offer to thy view in this little booke, certaine Sermons tending to the good of all that can finde time and willingnes to reade and regard them. And more particularlie, at this they aime; ſome of them, that they may helpe forward and perſwade ignorant, profane bad perſons, and hypocrites, to diſtaſt and waxe wearie of their euill and dangerous courſe. For out of all theſe kinds of wicked perſons doth the Lord daily call home ſome, effectually; where the Goſpell is ſoundly, plainly, and powerfully preached. And I would they ſhould know as much as I ſay, to the end they may not harden their hearts againſt God, (as they may poſsibly and eaſily doe) while they ſee many ſafely and happily guided in their liues, and themſelues nothing ſo, but may heare his voice willingly by repairing to ſuch wholeſome Sermons, wherein the Lord ſheweth himſelfe willing to be reconciled vntounto them, and wherein he thus ſpeaketh; O nation, not worthie to be beloued, yet for all this, if thou wilt returne from thine iniquitie, I will receiue thee graciouſly.
And what ſhould make them like glad as the hearing of this? as the Gentiles were, when they heard firſt, that God had granted vntounto them as well as to the Iewes, the glad tidings of ſaluation. Euen this ſort of people may hauehave no ſmall incouragement by reading theſe Sermons, and eſpecially thoſe among the reſt, which ſhew how they that wander out of the right way, may returne, and come home vntounto it againe. Some of theſe Sermons doe aime at this, to keepe ſuch as are drawne out of their ſinfull courſe alreadie, to the certaintie of ſaluation, and to keepe ſuch ſtedfaſt in their faith, hope, and repentance; and that they may not fall from them. And other ſome of them, ſerue to helpe forward all ſuch ſo ſtabliſhed, that they may grow in knowledge and grace, and ſo bring foorth fruits beſeeming the Goſpell. And I would they might finde no leſſe fauour and acceptation with the readers, then I am ſure they found with them who heard them preached.
I hauehave ſhewed what the matter is that is handled in theſe Sermons: now I will ſhew my reaſons, why I hauehave gathered not one, but ſundrie of the ſame argument together, and ſet them foorth ſo. And after, I will declare to thee, in what order I place them in this treatiſe, and why.
The firſt reaſon why I ſet downe many in one booke of the ſame argument, and not of diuers, is this; for that this matter and doctrine of the conuerſion of a ſinner, is very hard to be perceiued and diſcerned of many hearers, and eſpecially: ſo as they may cleerely ſee how to trace the way, and goe in it. Therefore that which could not ſo eaſily be perceiued in one ſermon, I hauehave thought good to lay foorth in many, and out of diuers texts of Scriptures, which tending all to this end, to wit, to ſet downe the conuerſion of a ſinner to God, doe giuegive more light in this matter, and offer occaſion of more things about it, then one alone can doe.
Theſe therefore being read with conſideration, may (through Gods bleſsing) make this point cleere, who, how, and when a man is conuerted, and make him able to trie whither he himſelfe be ſo or no. And if one be well grounded in the doctrine that teacheth this, and hauehave the vſe of this, he ſhall much the eaſilier attaine to further knowledge, and conſequently, to the vſe thereof: both which are meanly, and of few attained to, ſeeing ſo few are well ſetled in the other.
The next reaſon of this my thus doing, is becauſe this doctrine of the conuerſion of a ſinner, is but little, and too ſeldome taught, I meane al the parts of it are ſeldome ſet downe together; eſpecially at one time, and in one ſermon. All which were meete to be done, and oft; the weake capacitie, ſlipperie memorie, and many other defects in the moſt hearers, requiring it; and that they might ſee, both how farre they are from conuerſion, while they are in their firſt condition of ignorance, and vnbeliefe; and how they are to be brought to it, and alſo how contrarie their hearts and liues ſhould be to that they were before, when they be conuerted Theſe parts of it are ſeldome handled altogether in preaching, though one ſometime, another of them another time be taught and deliuered. But it is a long time, though the word be diligently preached (as in few places it is) before the moſt part of the hearers are able to lay one part and point of it with the other, and to make the whole worke of conuerſion of them all.
And to adde the third reaſon, ſeeing all that the people know and practiſe without conuerſion is nothing, I meane, either pleaſing to God, or profitable to ſaluation vntounto themſelues. They may (I denie not) know many points, and learne ſundrie inſtructions, as concerning the letter, but to know ſo as they beleeue (without which faith it is impoſsible for them to pleaſe God) they cannot without conuerſion; and to practiſe ſo in their liues, as that they may be ſaid to repent and liue holily, (without which they ſhall periſh, and neuer ſee the Lord) that is impoſsible without the ſame conuerſion.
For theſe cauſes and ſome other, of which this is not the leaſt, that by experience I hauehave ſeene great fruit come of this doctrine diligently and much taught, and little fruite, where it hath not been much in vſe; for ſuch cauſes (I ſay) I hauehave of purpoſe ſet out many ſermons of this argument, deſiring that the people may be made better acquainted with it, and that ſuch Preachers as thinke me worthie to be heard in this requeſt, would frame themſelues to teach it in their owne, or in other places where they come.
As for them that feare they ſhall glut the people with beating thus vponupon the ſame things, as though they could preach no other, I anſwere, if wee preach to the end the people may practiſe that which we teach, and if the people alſo make vſe of that which they learne about this matter, it ſhall be found ſo hard and precious to know themſelues conuerted, that they ſhall themſelues deſire that doctrine concerning it, to be taught againe and againe, and namely of faith and repentance, rather then to be wearie of it; for they ſhall ſee, that when the ſame thing ſhall be taught out of new texts, euen the old matter ſhall be in manner new to them.
Now it followeth to ſhew, why theſe texts are ſet downe in the order in which they are placed in the treatiſe. The firſt texts are Acts 16.24. and Matth. 24.12.13. and the ſermons on both, tend directly to ſhew, how a ſinner is conuerted, except the beginning of the Sermon in the 16. of the Acts, which yet maketh a way to the doctrine of conuerſion in the ſtorie of the Iailer. And in thoſe two Sermons the reader may ſee the three parts of conuerſion. And diuers of the other Sermons doe alſo giuegive good light in the ſame: and namely the 5. of Deut. In the next place followeth the 13. of Matth. verſ. 46. and Eſay 55. verſ. 1.2. In the former of theſe texts is commended to the reader what an excellent thing this conuerſion and namely faith is, by a parable of the pearle: and the latter text containeth doctrine to incourage and hearten on all to thirſt after, & moſt earneſtly to deſire theſe graces of faith & repentance, and other graces accōpanying them. The next in order is the 5. of Deut. 29. which, beſide that I hauehave ſaid of it alreadie ſetteth downe the fruit of conuerſion, which is a godly conuerſation, and how liuely it floweth and proceedeth from this conuerſion. The Sermons in the ſixth text, to wit, in Matth. 11. verſ. 20. tend to draw on and perſwade to this conuerſion, threatning woe to thoſe that conuert not. In the Sermons of the ſeuenth text in Acts 9. verſ. 31. there are examples, not of three perſons, but of three particular Churches, who ſhewed foorth as ſhining lights, the fruit of conuerſion in their liues, and vſed their libertie and time of reſt free from perſecution (vnderunder which they had liued before) to the growing in grace and knowledge with much comfort. In the laſt text, the 4. to the Philippians, verſ. 4▪ the Sermons tend to ſhew what ioy the repentant life accompanied with the fruits of amendment, doth bring to all that leade it, and are conuerted, notwithſtanding the diſcouragements that are on eueryevery ſide againſt them. I hauehave ſaid now what I minded to do: that which remaineth, is this. The Lord make that which I ſet out to thee, with all other holy inſtruction, profitable to thee for the making thee trulie happie.
Thine in the Lord, RICHARD ROGERS.
THE SEVERALL TEXTS OF THE Sermons contained in this Booke.
3 Three Sermons vponupon the 16. of the Acts, ver. 24. &c.
2 Two Sermons on Matth. 24.12.13.
2 Two Sermons on Matth. 13.46.
2 Two on Eſay 55.1.2.
2 Two on Deutronomie 5.29.
2 Two on Matth. 11.20.
2 Two on Acts 9.31.
4 Foure on Philippians 4.4.