The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 15
The firſt Uſe is of Caution.
Firſt, To all the Churches of Jeſus Chriſt to conſider, That if every Goſpel-Preacher ought to be wiſe, and none may Preach but ſuch who are Spiritual-wiſe, then take heed in your choice, and calling of men to Preach, that you obſerve this Rule, to Elect, Ordain, and Appoint to the Work of Preaching ſuch; have eye to this Rule. And as Moſes ſaid to Iſrael, let me now-ſay to you the Churches of the Saints; Look you out wiſe and Spiritually underſtanding men, and appoint them to the Work of Preaching. Intruſt no Spiritual Fools with ſo weighty and honourable a Work, remembring God hath no pleaſure in Fools, Eccleſ. 5.4. Fools, or unwiſe-Preachers, will Preach but fooliſhly, and his people can have little Soul-advantage, or few ſinners be converted, or the Lord Jeſus little glory from, or by, ſuch Preachers; Preaching is too weighty and difficult a Work for ignorant, unwiſe, Carnal, ungifted perſons to accompliſh; therefore take the Counſel given Acts 6.3. Wherefore Brethren, look out men for this Work, full of the Holy Ghoſt and wiſdom, and them only appoint unto this buſineſs; diſhonour not Preaching, by ſending diſhonourable Preachers about Preaching Imployment; and miſtake not the Rule by which you ſhould judge who is wiſe and fit to make a Preacher: Judge not according to appearance, or man's judgment, but remember what God ſaid to Samuel in the like caſe; Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his ſtature, becauſe I have refuſed him; for the Lord ſeeth not as man ſeeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart, 1 Sam. 16.7. Beloved, in this buſineſs of judging who is fit to be admitted and allowed to Preach, conſult not with fleſh and blood, with the carnal, wiſe, and learned Rabies of the day, leſt like Samuel, you be miſtaken in your judgment, and call him God's Anointed, when the Lord ſaith, This is not the man; but conſult the Record and Charter of the New Teſtament, and ſee whom that Word calls Wiſe, and a man fit to Preach the Goſpel; and as hath been demonſtrated, you ſhall find the Wiſdom which comes from Above, from the Father of Lights, is the onelyonly Wiſdom that can fit perſons unto Preaching. Grace, and Gifts of the Spirit of God, are beſt qualifications for a Preacher, as appears Acts 1.4, 5. He will make the beſt Preacher which hath moſt Grace and Gifts of the Spirit. Therefore take heed to this buſineſs, I beſeech you Brethren, who are Chriſt's Porters, ſee that no fooliſh, idle, or unholy Shepherds enter in at Chriſt's Doors, or be his Peoples Paſtors; for if there do, the ſin and guilt, yea, and puniſhment alſo of ſuch Preaching, will lie at your doors, John 10.3.
Object. But me-thinks I hear ſome Object and ſay, This is prepoſterous, erroneous, and dangerous, to make Preachers to depend and ſpring from the Congregations Approbation and Miſſion; This were to make Miniſters or Preachers depend upon the People; whereas, is it not better for Congregations to ſpring from, and depend upon the Miniſtry, or the Preachers and Diſpenſers of the Word?
I Anſwer, This Objection ſmells ſtrong of Rome, who-ever be the Objectors, and is calculated for the Intereſt of the Clergy, to maintain their Pride, Authority, and Avarice, and therefore may the rather be ſuſpected to be Anti-ſcriptural, or of no great ſtrength to withſtand.
Therefore firſt, Though theſe ſuggeſt this to be prepoſterous, as if we would put the Cart to draw the Horſes, and not the Horſes to draw the Cart: My Anſwer is, Natural and Divine Reaſon would judge the contrary; were it not prepoſterous that Servants ſhould judge and chuſe their Maſters; but Maſters that are to have their ſervice, and provide them their maintenance, ſhould be judged unmeet to queſtion or judge their ability. Is not the Houſe-holder more honourable than his Houſehold-Servants, and the Houſe before the Houſehold-Servants? Even ſo in the Church of Chriſt? Muſt Preachers and Miniſters be the Churches, as well as Chriſt's Servants; and ſhall not the Church be concluded honourable and wiſe enough to judge of the ability of her own Servants? Only they muſt judge whether the Church or Congregation is fit for their Profit or Honour. God forbid: Muſt the Church maintain them, yet not call them to their work, and be allowed to judge of them? Yea, the Church muſt try their Miniſters, and yet ſhall they not be equal or ſuperior to them, proved 1 John 4.1.
Secondly, This is not erroneous, but moſt conſtaint, and agreeable to Scripture, and then it matters not what it is contrary to, or who calls it Error. But that this is agreeable to Scripture, take Acts the firſt into conſideration, where Peter ſtanding up in the midſt of one hundred and twenty Diſciples, ſayes; Of theſe men that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jeſus went in and out among us, muſt one be choſen, or ordained, to be a witneſs with us of his Reſurrection; and they meaning the hundred and twenty, not the eleven; appointed two, Joſephus called Barſabas, who was ſirnamed Juſtus, and Matthias, verſ. 15, 21, 22, 23. with chap. 18. from 24 to 28. Truth it is, this way of trying and ſending forth, and judging of the Preacher's Gifts, and fitneſs for Goſpel-Preaching, is an erring from the Canon of the Romiſh-Church, and their Book of Ordination of Prieſts and Deacons; but is no erring from the Can…on of the New Teſtament, as hath been cleared. And,
Thirdly, Whereas they ſay this Doctrine is dangerous; give me leave to ſay thereto, Truth is not endangered by tryal, or good commodity by being ſearched into. The wiſer, and more Spiritual Preachers are, the leſs danger of their corrupting the Scriptures, or enſnaring the people. If the Objectors intend the danger lies in this, That the ignorant People or Multitude of Believers being intruſted with this buſineſs, will chuſe ſimple and unwiſe Preachers.
I Anſwer briefly, Their Rule in this buſineſs, prevents this Objection; For they muſt be wiſe that ought to be admitted to Preach; and the Church muſt not only be ſimple and ignorant, but undutiful and diſobedient to Chriſt's commands, or elſe this danger is avoided. And though Babylons Builders are blind in this matter, yet Chriſt's Church is wiſe, and ſeeing, and the Spiritual Man diſcerneth all things, 1 Cor. 2.15. 2 Theſſ. 2.15. And ſo much for this Objection.