The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 18 – Part 19
The fourth Ʋſe is of Encouragement.
Know aſſuredly, the Lord will bleſs your Seed, and the fruit of your increaſe. You may reckon your ſelves Children, that cannot ſpeak in the Name of the Lord; but the Lord hath told you, He will be with you, and make you as a defenced City, and an Iron Pillar, and a Brazen Wall, Jer. 1.6, 7. compared with verſ. 18. Oh! be encouraged to be ſound faithful and diligent; for though you may go out to Preach, as Jacob went forth from his Fathers Houſe, when he ſaid, With my ſtaff I paſſed over this Jordan, but now I am become two Bands, Gen. 32.10. Even ſo you faithful Preachers ſhall have a time to ſay to the Glory of Free-Grace, I am become two Bands. The Lord hath promiſed, That his Spirit ſhall lead you, not only unto Truth, but from Truth to Truth, till you are guided into all Truth, John 16.13. Therefore be encouraged to perſiſt and go on in Preaching the Word in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon; for the Lord is with you, and he will uphold your goings in his Paths. Oh Beloved, be neither diſcouraged at your own weakneſs, nor your many diſcouragements, for the Righteous ſhall flouriſh like the Palm; therefore ſtill teach the people knowledge, guide them by the skilfulneſs of the Lord's hand upon you, from Truth to Truth, from firſt Principles to higher, and more ennobling Concluſions. Be not Children in your knowledge, but go on towards perfection, as good Miniſters of Jeſus Chriſt; Preachers that receive freely or largely of the Spirit, ſhould give forth as freely, and ſtill teach the people knowledge. As Preachers grow in knowledge, they ſhould ſeek that the people might grow in knowledge; alſo as waters of knowledge flow into them, ſo ſhould they flow forth unto the people: for as your day is, ſo ſhall your ſtrength be; Jeſus Chriſt hath promiſed to be with you alwayes in ſuch work, Matth. 28. And to conclude, take the Counſel of Solomon, Eccleſ. 9.10. Whatſoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wiſdom, in the Grave, whither thou goeſt.
You labouring Ones in this Work of the Lord, feed on that Promiſe Mat. 13.12. For whoſoever hath, to him ſhall be given, and he ſhall have more abundance.
And to cloſe, take that good word 1 Cor. 15.58. Therefore, my beloved Brethren, be ye ſtedfaſt, unmoveable, alwayes abounding in the Work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
I now come to the next particular in the Text, which is the Matter which the Preacher preached; that is, Knowledge: He ſtill taught the people Knowledge; it was knowledge the Preacher taught. He Preached not to make himſelf known, or his knowledge known, but to make the people know; for he ſtill taught the people knowledge.
One Queſtion may from hence be asked, and that is, What Knowledge is?
Or, ſecondly, What knowledge this is the wiſe Preacher taught the people.
To ſpeak a little to the firſt Query; What knowledge is? It is the oppoſite to ignorance, and conſiſts in the enlightning or informing the Underſtanding, either concerning the Author, or the Nature of things, or the End and Uſe of things. I ſay, knowledge is an enriching excellency, enabling men to make true judgment concerning things. He that is deſtitute of knowledge, knows not how to diſcern things, or to difference one thing from an other. But I ſhall not inlarge here, though I might add there is a double ſort of knowledge, Natural, and Supernatural; or the knowledge of things or objects Divine and Heavenly, or the knowledge of things or objects Natural. This Supernatural knowledge conſiſts either in the knowledge of God or his Will, or the knowledge of our ſelves or others.
But ſecondly, It may be inquired, What this knowledge in particular is which the Preacher taught the people, ſpoken of in the Text?
I Anſwer, Not humane knowledge, or underſtanding, and skill in worldly things; but it is knowledge of Divine things, or Heavenly things: More particularly it may be diſtinguiſhed into the knowledge of God, as in Himſelf, Attributes, and Word. Conſidered ſecondly, It conſiſts in the knowledge of our Spiritual Eſtates and Duties; And under theſe two Heads, I humbly conceive all that Heavenly knowledge which a Preacher ought to give-diligence to teach the people the knowledge of may be compriſed.
Thus having a little removed the ſcruple concerning knowledge, what it is, and what that knowledge is Preachers ought to teach the people, we may note this point of Doctrine.
Doct. 6. To wit, That every wiſe Preacher ought to teach the people the knowledge of Spiritual things; or, that every wiſe Preacher ought to teach the people how they may know ſpiritual things, or be knowing in ſpiritual things.
This the Preacher, the wiſe Preacher in the Text did, and this every wiſe and Goſpel-Preacher ought to do.
Again, the knowledge which a wiſe Preacher ought to teach and impart to the people, 'tis the knowledge of God, and things appertaining to God: Or, ſecondly, the knowledge of our ſelves, and things belonging to our ſelves.
But let me a little clear and prove the point to you, That every wiſe Preacher ought to teach the people Heavenly knowledge, or the knowledge of God, and of themſelves.
For proof of this, take that paſſage Exod. 24.12. where the Lord commands Moſes and Aaron to teach the people knowledge: So Moſes tells us what Levi ſhould and ought to do for God's people, Even teach Jacob God's Judgments, and Iſrael his Law, Deut. 33.10. This Samuel well underſtood, 2 Sam. 12.23. But I will teach you the good and the right way. This alſo was Ezra's practice, for ſaith the Text, Ezra had prepared his heart to ſeek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Iſrael Statutes and Judgments. Oh! here is a good Miniſter indeed, that prepares his heart to teach the people, both by his Life, and doing the Will of God; and alſo by teaching and inſtructing them in the knowledge of the Law of God. This alſo was the good Levites practice, in 2 Chro. 30.22. That they taught Iſrael the good knowledge of the Lord. This is that the Lord by Malachi declares he expects at the hands of his Prieſts, chap. 2.7. where he ſaith, The Prieſts Lips ſhould, or ought to keep knowledge; and they, meaning the people, ſhould ſeek the Law at his mouth. But to trouble you with no more Quotations, to prove this clear Truth; that every wiſe Preacher ought ſtill to teach the people knowledge. The good knowledge of God, is that which every good Preacher ought to impart to the people; I will therefore only add this one more, where we may hear what the Lord ſaith to ſuch Preachers as do not teach the people knowledge. Wo, ſaith he, unto you Lawyers, for ye have taken away the Key of Knowledge, &c. Luke 7.52. The Phariſees and Lawyers of that day, had great thoughts of their knowledge and abilities; but ſaith Chriſt, We unto you Lawyers, for ye have taken away, or withheld the Key of Knowledge from the people. Oh Friends, it is woful and unworthy to with-hold knowledge from the people, if we have knowledge to impart to the people.
The ſecond thing I ſhall do, is to demonſtrate, by Argument or Reaſon, that this is Truth, to wit, That every wiſe Preacher ought to teach and impart knowledge to the people; and that for theſe Reaſons.
Reaſ…. 1. Firſt, Becauſe that is the end, the main end, the very end of their Knowledg. Chriſt imparts Gifts and Grace to Preachers, yea, makes Preachers upon this account, that they ſhould teach, inſtruct, and inform the people. This the Scripture largely gives an account of, as in Epheſ. 4.12, 13. For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Miniſtry, for the edifying of the Body of Chriſt; till we all come to the unity of the Faith, in the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man.
Mark, The Preacher hath the Office of Miniſtry, and the Gifts of Miniſtry, or Gifts to miniſter with as a Miniſter; all for the people, and that alſo for their Edifying, Unity, Knowledge, and Perfection; therefore they ought to deſign this for their Buſineſs, Not to know for themſelves onelyonly, but principally to make the people knowing and wiſe in the knowledge of Chriſt. Now if this be the end of Preachers, certainly every thing ſhould anſwer its end, or elſe it is Made, Created and Ordained in vain: But ſurely Preachers were not ordained in vain, but to teach the people knowledge; they are the peoples eyes, not their own only; they are the peoples Stewards, and therefore what Stewardſhip or Talent ſoever they have, they ought to improve them for the people, who are the final end, next to Chriſt's Glory, of all their Attainments. This alſo we have given us in 1 Cor. 4.2. It is required, in Stewards, that a man be found faithful; and Luke 22.32. When thou art converted, ſtrengthen thy Brethren.
Reaſ. 2. Secondly, The Preachers ought to Preach the people into knowledge, becauſe this is that the Preachers profeſs to do for the people; And are not Preachers bound to what they pretend and profeſs? that is, to teach the people knowledge. Certainly, of all men under Heaven, they are moſt bound to do what they profeſs, becauſe they reach other men ſo to do.
Secondly, Becauſe they profeſs to know above the rate of others; and is it not a ſhame for them to perform leſs than other men?
And thirdly, They profeſs this to be their Conſcience, and to be conſcious of doing it; and is it not then both ſhameful and ſinful unconſcionably to neglect it? Should a Phyſician pretend to help and cure ſuch as come to him in their ſickneſs, and ſhould not regard to inquire into their Diſeaſes, nor regard to conſult their good, or direct their Patients what to do? Would we not groundedly ſay, He were both idle and diſhoneſt? Even ſo are all thoſe Preachers that pretend to promote the peoples good and underſtanding in the Myſtery of Chriſt, and do not.
Reaſ. 3. Thirdly, This is that the people do, or ought to expect at their hands; Namely, That they ſhould teach them the good knowledge of God; and therefore this they ought to deſign, They ſhould teach them the good knowledge of God; and they ſhould not only deſign it, but labour aſter it: What was that which Cornelius and his Friends came together about, and he ſent to Peter for, but this, That he might make them know what was the mind of God, Acts 10.33? The people expect not that you ſhould fight for them, or trade and traffick for them, but only that you ſhould inſtruct them in the Myſteries of Chriſt, and do all you can to make them know the Truth as it is in Jeſus; and of all men under Heaven, your Preachers are the moſt unconſcionable deceivers and cheats, that neglect thus to do, and abuſe the people by keeping them in ignorance.
Reaſ. 4. And laſtly, Wiſe Preachers are not only bound thus to do, becauſe made Preachers for this end, and ſuch who have profeſſed, and are expected thus to do; but laſtly, are able thus to do alſo; therefore ought to be found likewiſe faithful Servants, thus doing, Mat. 24.45. I ſay, Every wiſe Preacher is able to teach the people the good knowledge of God: I do not ſay, Every Preacher, or every one that is called a Preacher, or ſo calls himſelf, but I ſay, every one that God owns for a Preacher, and is truly a wiſe or ſpiritual Preacher, is able to teach the people, and ought ſo to do; as John ſaith, That which we have ſeen and heard, and our hands have handled of the Word of Life, declare we unto you, that ye alſo may have fellowſhip with us, 1 John 1.3.
Mark, What every wiſe Preacher can, and doth do, even declare the things of God, or the knowledge of Jeſus Chriſt to the people; and he can and doth endeavour that the people may be brought into the fellowſhip and enjoyment of their knowledge. Thoſe are fooliſh Preachers, Lords over God's Heritage, evil Servants, and Self-ſeekers, that ingroſs knowledge for themſelves, and deſign not the peoples knowledge, as one main end of all that knowledge they enjoy or deſign to be made partakers of.
And thus much for the clearing of this Doctrine, That it is the duty of every wiſe Goſpel-Preacher, to make the people wiſe and knowing in the Myſtery of Chriſt. Now to come to the Application.
The firſt Ʋſe is of Information.
If this be Preachers Buſineſs and Duty to teach the people knowledge; then this informs us how unwiſe and fooliſh Romiſh Preachers are, even the Pope and his Prelates, and Clergy, who are ſo unwiſe and ignorant of Goſpel-Truths and Principles, that they not onelyonly neglect and oppoſe this practice, but teach and maintain, that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion, and that knowledge is enough for the Prieſts, and the people muſt hang their Knowledge and Faith upon their Prieſts Sleeves; and that tis ſufficient for the people to do that the Prieſt commands; and believe as the Church believes. But this is to endanger the people to Hell with great Company, rather than to be ſaved by the Faith of the Church.
I ſhall not ſay much to this Generation of Vipers, theſe idle Shepherds, theſe blind Guides, leaders of the blind World; only let ſuch know, we ſhall not need to ſay they are fooliſh Shepherds, and Peter's unlearned ones, and none of Solomon's wiſe Preachers; their own Works and Words are ſufficient to make their madneſs manifeſt to all wiſe men, or ſpiritual Believers; ſeeing what every wiſe Preacher doth, and ought to do, is even to teach the people knowledge, which they neither do, nor judge they ought to do. This ſhall ſuffice for this firſt Uſe.