The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 17
The ſecond Ʋſe is of Exhortation.
Secondly, This may be for Exhortation to all ſuch as are wiſe Preachers, and are called to the Work of Preaching. Be exhorted ſtill, teach the people knowledge, go on to your and their perfection, and do not begin a good Work in the World, and in the hearts of the Children of God, and then leave it unwatched over, or unwatered, but ſtill be teaching the people knowledge. I remember this is made a note of folly in the Oſtrich, That ſhe leaveth her Eggs in the Earth, and warmeth them, in the duſt, and forgetteth that the foot may cruſh them, or that the wild Beaſts may break them. She is hardned againſt her young ones, as though they were not hers. Her labour is in vain, without fear, becauſe God hath deprived her of wiſdom, neither hath he imparted to her underſtanding, Job 39.13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Oh! you that Preach the Goſpel-Wiſdom, and either are, or would be, counted wiſe Preachers, be exhorted not to be like the Oſtrich; leave not your Eggs in the Duſt, nor to a foot that will cruſh them, but look well to your Seed ſown, and ſecure your Conceptions; and loſe not or endanger your labours, but watch and pray, that you fall not into temptations, but ſtill teach the people knowledge. If you decline to teach the people knowledge, the Devil and his Brokers will ſtill teach your people error and folly, as you have it Mat. 13.25. But while men ſlept, his enemy came, and ſowed Tares among the Wheat, and went his way.
Now will not this grieve a wife Preacher, that ſincerely Preaches for the good of the people, that through his negligence, eaſe, and idleneſs, that not ſtill teaching the people knowledge, the people ſhould be all over-grown with Tares and Errors? Therefore my dear Brethren, who labour in the Word and Doctrine, ſtill teach your people knowledge. The good Husband-man went to Plow laſt ſeaſon, and will not forbear and loſe this ſeaſon; and the good Merchant-man ventures to Sea his Goods in one Ship and another, to one part of the World, and another in another ſeaſon; ſo ſhould a wiſe Preacher plow up the fallow-Ground this year, & the next ſend out his Commodity to this and the other good Port, in one and another good Ship; take Fraight, ſend thy Winter and thy Summer-Adventures; remembring Eccleſ. 11.4, 5, 6. Oh! he that obſerveth the Wind, ſhall not ſow; and he that obſerveth the Wind, ſhall not reap. As thou knoweſt not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the Bones do grow in the Womb of her that is with Child; even ſo thou knoweſt not the Works of God, who maketh all. In the morning ſow thy Seed, and in the evening with-hold not thy hand, for thou knoweſt not whether ſhall proſper, either this or that, or whether they both ſhall be of like good.
Oh therefore be exhorted, who are wiſe Preachers, ſtill to teach the people knowledge: And to this Work, let me give you a few Motives ſtill to teach the people knowledge. For,
Motive 1. Firſt. It will much argue and evidence your love and affection to the Lord Jeſus, that you love his Flock, and feed his Lambs, John 21.14. 'Tis the greateſt evidence of love to Chriſt, and to the Lambs of Chriſt, to be diligently and conſtantly teaching and feeding the Flock of God with the Word of Knowledge. And if there be any Preacher that would have, or carry, a black and viſible badge, of neither loving Chriſt, nor Saints, then, and not elſe, forbear to teach the people knowledge.
Motive 2. Secondly, Let this move Preachers, even every wiſe Preacher, ſtill to teach the people knowledge; Becauſe, the more you teach others, the more Jeſus Chriſt will teach you. If you would have much of the Teachings of the Lord Jeſus, be much in the teaching of them that are Chriſt's; For he that watereth, ſhall be watered; and he that diſperſeth abroad, and giveth to the poor, his Righteouſneſs remaineth for ever, Prov. 11.25. with 2 Cor. 9.9. Now conſider, not only the people need to be Preached unto by you, but you and I have great, even abundant need to have Jeſus Chriſt Preach unto us; therefore ſtill teach the people knowledge.
Motive 3. Thirdly, Still teach the people knowledge, becauſe, 'tis moſt honourable to be moſt diligent in this Work; and honour is much taking in theſe dayes, when every one ſeeks the Rulers favour. Now this is the Preacher's way to honour, by diligent Preaching; as skill comes by diligence, ſo honour, and deſerved reputation, comes by frequent and painful Preaching. Look how Solomon commends the diligent Woman, Prov. laſt. verſ. laſt. Even ſo ſhall the diligent Preacher be commended alſo, Prov. 11.30. He that winneth Souls is wiſe; with chap. 22.22. Seeſt thou a man that is diligent in his buſineſs, he ſhall ſtand before Kings, he ſhall not ſtand before mean men. Therefore though we may not ſeek the honour that cometh of men, yet we may ſeek that which cometh of God, John 5.44. Oh! How beautiful are the feet of them that Preach the Goſpel of Peace, and bring glad-tydings of good things, Rom. 10.15.
Motive 4. Fourthly, My dear Brethren, it will be very comfortable, in a dying hour, to have Preached diligently in the dayes of Life; And when have we ſo much need of comfort as in dying hours? When will ſin, guilt, ſhame, and ſcorn, lie ſo heavy upon us, as in a dying hour? Therefore ſtill teach the people knowledge, that God may ſtill continue your comforts, and cauſe your comforts to abound in dying hours. Thus ſhould a wiſe Preacher ſtrive to Preach, that with Samuel he may look a dying hour, with joy, in the face, 1 Sam. 12.2, 3, 5. So Paul comforted himſelf in the day of his departing, becauſe he had finiſhed his courſe, and made full proof of his Miniſtry, 2 Tim. 4.5, 6, 7, 8. therefore ſtill teach the people knowledge: Yea, our Lord Jeſus uſeth this as a means to ſupport him under the ſting of Death, by this Conſideration; That he had finiſhed the Work his Father committed him to do, in John 17.4, 5. where our Lord ſaith, I have glorified thee on earth; I have finiſhed the Work thou gaveſt me to do: And now, O Father, glorifie thou me with thy own ſelf. O! here is the way for a Preacher to find aſſured comfort in a day of Death, that he hath finiſhed his Work in a day of Life; and ſtill taught the people knowledge. O! therefore, ye that are appointed to be Lights to men in a dark World; let not, I beſeech you, your Light be put under a Buſhel, or at beſt, but ſhine in a dark Lanthorn; but receive this Exhortation, and let me leave it as univerſal advice, for every Preacher that hath ears to hear what the Spirit ſaith, to hear and receive, even ſtill to teach the people knowledge, Rev. 6.7. So much for this fifth Doctrine.
I ſhould come now to a ſecond particular, offered from this firſt Act of the wiſe Preacher, That he ſtill taught the people knowledge; that is, He went forward, and made progreſſion in Preaching; He did not ſtick or remain upon firſt Principles, but roſe higher and higher in his Preaching, he ſtill taught the people knowledge; that is, higher meaſures and degrees of knowledge: As he was wiſely diligent, ſo was he wiſely proceeding and going forward, from ſtep to ſtep, in the degrees and meaſures of his Knowledge and Preaching. The Point of Doctrine hence is;
Doct. That wiſe Preachers are proſpering or thriving Preachers.
They are not only diligent and conſtant Preachers, but alſo they are growing Preachers; he ſtill taught the people knowledge, that is, more and higher knowledge. This was ſhadowed out in the Waters of the Sanctuary, which roſe firſt to the Ancles, then to the Knees, then to the Loyns, afterward to a River that could not be paſſed over: Even ſo do Preaching Qualifications, in a wiſe and painful Preacher; who, as Paul ſaith, when in their Childhood, or firſt entrance, may ſpeak like Children, and act like Children; yet when they grow up to be men, they will Speak, Preach, and Act like men, 1 Cor. 13.11. This is that which is promiſed Pſal. 1. where David tells us, The bleſſedneſs of the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in that Law doth he meditate day and night, he ſhall be like a Tree planted by the Rivers of Water, that bringeth forth his Fruit in ſeaſon; His leaf ſhall not wither, but whatſoever he doth ſhall proſper. This is the bleſſing, of not onelyonly the Godly Chriſtian, but eſpecially of the truly wiſe, and Godly Preacher, he ſhall grow and flouriſh. The like promiſe we have in Pſalm. 92.12, 13, 14, 15. where the Pſalmiſt tells us, how it will fare with Righteous and Wiſe Preachers; They ſhall flouriſh like the Palm-Tree, and grow like the Cedar in Lebanon: Thoſe that be plauted in the Houſe of the Lord, ſhall flouriſh in the Court of our God; they ſhall bring forth fruit in old age; they ſhall be fat and flouriſhing; to ſhew that the Lord is upright. This alſo Paul implies, in that ſaying of his to Timothy, 1 Epiſt. 4.15. That thy profiting may appear to all men.
Thus we ſee the Point a little confirmed; but becauſe this Truth has in part already been ſpoken to, and will neceſſarily fall under conſideration in another place; I ſhall ſay no more to the proof of this, but only make one Uſe from it, and that is for encouragement to all wiſe and painful Preachers.