The Reformed Pastor, Chapter 6 · Section 3
SECT. III.
III. THE third ſort of moving Reaſons are drawn from the Neceſſity of the undertaken work: For if it were not Neceſſary, the lazy might be diſcouraged rather then excited, by the forementioned difficulties, as is aforeſaid. And if we ſhould here expatiate, we might find matter for a volumn by it ſelf. But becauſe I have already been longer then I did intend, I ſhall only give you a brief hint of ſome of the general grounds of this Neceſſity.
And 1. it is Neceſſary by Obligation, Ut Officium, Neceſsitate praeceoti: and 2. It is neceſſary ad finem; and that, 1. For God. 2. For our neighbours. 3. And for our ſelves.
1. For the firſt of theſe. 1. We have on us the Obligation of Scripture-precepts. 1. General. 2. Special. And 2. the ſubſervient obligation (or the firſt bound faſter on us) by Promiſes and Threatnings. 3. And theſe alſo ſeconded by executions, even 1. by actual Judgements: 2. and mercies. And laſtly, we have the Obligation of our own undertaking upon us. Theſe all deſerve your Conſideration, but may not be inſiſted on by me, leſt I be over tedious.
1. Every Chriſtian is Obliged to do all that he can for the ſalvation of others, but every Miniſter is doubly obliged, becauſe he is ſeparated to the Goſpel of Chriſt, and is to give up himſelf wholly to that work. Rom. 1. 1. 1 Tim. 4. 15. It is needleſs to make any further queſtion of our Obligation, when we know that this work is needful to our peoples converſion and ſalvation, and that we are in general commanded to do all that is needful to thoſe ends, as far as we are able. That they are neceſſary to thoſe ends hath been ſhewed before; and ſhall be more anon. Even the antient profeſſors, have need to be taught the Principles of Gods Oracles, if they have neglected it, or forgot it, ſaith the Apoſtle, foreign Heb. 5. 12. Whether the unconverted have need of converſion and the means of it, I hope is no doubt among us: And whether this be a means, and a needful means, experience may put us far out of doubt, if we had no more. Let them that have taken moſt pains in publike, examine their people, and try whether many of them be not yet as ignorant and careleſs almoſt, as if they had never heard the Goſpel. For my part, I ſtudy to ſpeak as plainly and movingly as I can, (and next my ſtudy to ſpeak truly, theſe are my chief ſtudies) and yet I frequently meet with thoſe that have been my hearers this 8. or 10. years, who know not whether Chriſt be God or man, and wonder when I tell them the hiſtory of his birth, and life, and death, and ſending abroad the Goſpel, as if they had never heard it before, and that know not that Infants have any original ſin: And of thoſe that know the Hiſtory of the Goſpel, how few are they that know the nature of that faith, repentance, and holineſs, that it requireth; Or at leaſt, that know their own hearts? But moſt of them have an ungrounded affiance in Chriſt, truſting that he will pardon, juſtifie and ſave them, while the world hath their hearts, and they live to the fleſh: And this aſſiance they take for a juſtifying-faith. I have found by experience, that an ignorant ſot that hath been an unprofitable hearer ſo long, hath got more knowledge and remorſe of conſcience in half an hours cloſe diſcourſe, then they did from ten years publike preaching. I know that preaching of the Goſpel publikely is the moſt excellent means, becauſe we ſpeak to many at once: But otherwiſe, it is uſually far more effectual to preach it privately to a particular ſinner, as to himſelf. For the plaineſt man that is, can ſcarce ſpeak plain enough in publike for them to underſtand; but in private we may much more. In publike, we may not uſe ſuch homely expreſſions, or repetitions, as their dulneſs doth require, but in private we may: In publike our ſpeeches are long, and we quite over-run their underſtandings and memories, and they are confounded and at a loſs, and not able to follow us, and one thing drives out another and ſo they know not what we ſaid: But in private we can take our work gra… tim, and take our hearers with us as we go; and by queſtions and their anſwers, we can ſee how far they go with us, and what we have next to do. In publike, by length and ſpeaking alone, we loſe their attentions: But when they are Interlocutors, we can eaſily cauſe them to attend. Beſides that, we can (as was aboveſaid) better anſwer their Objections, and engage them by Promiſes before we leave them, which in publike we cannot do. I conclude therefore that publike preaching will not be ſufficient: For though it may be an effectual means to convert many, yet not ſo many; as experience, and Gods appointment of further means, may aſſure us. Long may you ſtudy and preach to little purpoſe, if you neglect this duty.
2. And for inſtances of particular ſpecial Obligations, we might eaſily ſhew you many, both from Chriſts own example, who uſed this interlocutory preaching, both to his Diſciples and to the Jews, and from the Apoſtles examples, who did the like: But that indeed it would be needleſs tediouſneſs to recite the paſſages to thoſe that ſo well know them, it being the moſt ordinary way of the Apoſtles preaching, to do it thus interlocutorily and by diſcourſe: And when they did make a ſpeech any thing long to the people, yet the people and they diſcourſe it out in the concluſion. Thus Peter preached to the Jews, Acts 2 and to … and his friends, Acts 10. and thus Philip preached to the Eunuch, Acts 9. and thus Paul preached to the Jaylor, Acts 16. and to many others. Its plain that it was the commoneſt preaching of thoſe times, which occaſioneth the Quakers to challenge us to ſhew where any ever took a text, and preacht as we do: (though they might have found that Chriſt did ſo, Luk. 4. 18.) Paul preached privately to them of reputation, l…ſt he ſhould have run, and laboured in vain, Gal. 2. 2. And that earneſt charge no doubt includeth it, 2 Tim. 4. 1, 2. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, who ſhall Iudge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom; Preach the word, be inſtant in ſeaſon, and out of ſeaſon; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-ſuffering and Doctrine. Both publike preaching, and all ſorts of Reproofs and Exhortations are here required.
3. And how theſe preceptss are ſeconded with promiſes and threatnings, is ſo well known, that I ſhall paſs it over with the reſt.
2. THere is a Neceſſity alſo of this Duty ad finem; and firſt, To the Creater Glory of God, by the fuller ſucceſs of the Goſpel: Not ſimply to his Glory, as if he could not have his Glory without it: for ſo our ſalvation is not Neceſſary to his Glory: but to his Greater Glory: becauſe he is moſt honoured and pleaſed when moſt are ſaved: For he hath ſworn that he hath no pleaſure in the Death of a Sinner, but rather that he return and live. And doubtleſs as every Chriſtian liveth to the Glory of God, as his End ſo will he gladly take that courſe that may moſt effectually promote it: For what man would not attain his Ends? O Brethren if we could generally ſet this work a foot in all the Pariſhes of England, and get our people to ſubmit to it, and then proſecute it skilfully and zealouſly our ſelves, what a Glory would it put upon the face of the Nation, and what Glory would redound to God thereby? If our common Ignorance were thus baniſhed, and our vanity and idleneſs turned into the ſtudy of the way of life, and every Shop, and every houſe were buſied in learning of Catechiſms, and ſpeaking of the word and works of God, what Pleaſure would God take in our Cities and Countries? He would even dwell in our habitations and make them his delight. It is the Glory of Chriſt that ſhineth in his Saints; and all their Glory is his Glory; that therefore which honoureth them, in Number, or excellency, that honoureth him; Will not the Glory of Chriſt be moſt wonderful and conſpicuous in the new Jeruſalem, when the Church ſhall have that ſhining luſtre that is deſcribed in Rev. 21.? It is he that is the ſun and the ſhield of his Church, and his light is it in which they ſhall have light; and the buſineſs of every Saint is to glorifie him: If therefore we can increaſe the Number or ſtrength of the Saints, we thereby increaſe the honour of the King of Saints; For he will have ſervice and praiſe where before he had diſobedience and diſhonour. Chriſt alſo will be honoured in the fruits of his bloodſhed, and the ſpirit of Grace in the fruit of his operations; And do not all theſe Ends require that we uſe the means with diligence?
2. This Duty alſo is neceſſary to the welfare of our people: How much doth it conduce to their ſalvation is manifeſt. Brethren can you look believingly on your miſerable neighbours, and not perceive them calling for your help? There is not a ſinner whoſe caſe you ſhould not ſo far compaſſionate, as to be willing to relieve them at dearer rates then this comes to. Can you ſee them as the wounded man by the way, and unmercifully paſs by? Can you hear them cry to you, as the man of Macedonia to Paul in his viſion, come and help us? and yet will you refuſe your help? Are you entruſted with an hoſpital, where one languiſheth in one corner, and another groaneth in another, and cryeth out, O help me, pity me for the Lords ſake, and a third is raging mad, and would deſtroy himſelf and you, and yet will you ſit idle, or refuſe your help? If it may be ſaid of him that relieveth not mens bodies, how much more of them that relieve not mens ſouls, that if you ſee your brother have need, and ſhut up the bowels of your Compaſſion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in you? You are not ſuch Monſters, ſuch hard-hearted men, but you will pity a Leper, you will pity the naked, impriſoned or deſolate, you will pity him that is tormented with grievous pain or ſickneſs; And will you not pity an ignorant hard-hearted ſinner? will you not pity one that muſt be ſhut out from the preſence of the Lord, and ile under his remedileſs wrath, if through Repentance ſpeedily prevent it not? O what a heart is it that will not pity ſuch a one? what ſhall I call the heart of ſuch a man? a heart of ſtone, or a very rock, or adamant, or the heart of a Tyger? or rather the heart of an Infidel? for ſure if he believed the miſery of the impenitent, it is not poſsible but he ſhould have pity on him! Can you tell men in the Pulpit, that they ſhall certainly be damned except they repent, and yet have no pity on them when you have proclaimed ſuch a danger? And if you pity them, will you not do this much for their ſalvation? what abundance round about you are blindly haſtening to perdition? and your voice is appointed to be the means of reclaiming them. The Phyſician hath no excuſe who is doubly bound to relieve the ſick, when every neighbour is to help them. Brethren, what if you heard ſinners cry after you in the ſtreets, O Sir; have pity on me, and afford me your advice! I am afraid of the everlaſting wrath of God! I know I muſt ſhortly leave this world, and I am afraid leſt I ſhall be miſerable in the next I Could you deny your help to ſuch a ſinner? What if they came to your Study-door, and cryed for help, and would not away, till you had told them how to eſcape the wrath of God? could you find in your hearts to drive them away without advice? I am confident you could not. Why, alaſs ſuch perſons are leſs miſerable then they that cannot cry for help. It is the hardened ſinner that cares not for your help that moſt needeth it: and he that hath not ſo much life as to feel that he is dead, nor ſo much light as to ſee his danger, nor ſo much ſenſe left as to pity himſelf, this is the man that is moſt to be pityed. Look upon your neighbours round about you, and think what abundance need your help in no leſs a caſe then the apparent danger of damnation. And every impenitent perſon that you ſee and know about you, ſuppoſe that you hear them cry to you for help as ever you pitied poor wretches pity us, leſt we ſhould be tormented in the flames of hell: if you have the hearts of men, pitty us: And do that for them that you would do if they followed you with ſuch complaints. O how can you walk and talk, and be merry with ſuch people, when you know their caſe? Me thinks when you look them in the face, and think how they muſt lie in perpetual miſery, you ſhould break forth into tears (as the Prophet did when he looked upon Hazael,) and then fall on with the moſt importunate Exhortations! when you muſt viſit them in their ſickneſs, will it not wound your hearts, to ſee them ready to depart into miſery, before you have ever dealt ſeriouſly with them for their recovery? O then for the Lords ſake, and for the ſake of poor ſouls, have pity on them, and beſtir your ſelves, and ſpare no pains that may conduce to their ſalvation.
3. ANd I muſt further tell you, that this Miniſterial fidelity is Neceſſary to your own welfare, as well as to your peoples. For this is your work, according to which (among others) you ſhall be judged. You can no more be ſaved without Miniſterial diligence and fidelity, then they or you can be ſaved without Chriſtian diligence and fidelity, If you care not for others, at leaſt care for your ſelves. O what is it to anſwer for the neglect of ſuch a charge? and what ſins more hainous then the betraying of ſouls? Doth not that threatning make us tremble? [If thou warn not the wicked—their blood will I require at thy hands.] I am afraid, nay I am paſt doubt, that the day is near when unfaithful Miniſters will wiſh that they had never known that charge. But that they had rather been Colliars or Tinkers, or ſweepers of Channels, then Paſtors of Chriſts flock! when beſides all the reſt of their ſins, they ſhall have the blood of ſo many ſouls to anſwer for. O Brethren, our death as well as our peoples is at hand! and it is as terrible to an unfaithful Paſtor as to any. When we ſee that dye we muſt, and there is no remedy, no wit or learning, no credit or popular applauſe can put by the ſtroke, or delay the time; but willing or unwilling, our ſouls muſt be gone, and that into a world that we never ſaw, where our perſons and worldly intereſt will not be reſpected, O then for a clear Conſcience, that can ſay [I lived not to my ſelf but to Chriſt, I ſpared not my pains, I hid not my talent; I concealed not mens miſery, nor the way of their recovery.] O Sirs, let us therefore take time while we may have it, and work while it is day, for the night cometh when none can work. This is our day too: and by doing good to others, we muſt do good to our ſelves. If you would prepare for a comfortable death, and a ſure and great Reward, the harveſt is before you: g…rd up the loins of your minds, and quit your ſelves like men; that you may end your days with that confident triumph [I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finiſhed my courſe; henceforth is laid up for me a crown of Righteouſneſs, which God the righteous Iudge ſhall give me] And if you would be bleſſed with thoſe that dye in the Lord; Labour now, that you may reſt from your labours then, and do ſuch works as you would wiſh ſhould follow you, and not ſuch as will prove your terror in the review.