The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 20
The ſecond Uſe is of Exhortation.
Let this ſerve for matter of Exhortation to all Goſpel-Preachers, to make this their main buſineſs, to ſhew themſelves truly wiſe and able Preachers, even Workmen that need not be aſhamed, by teaching the people Knowledge. God hath given you Talents for this very purpoſe, and the peoples wants and expectations call loudly for this; namely, that you ſhould be their Lights, and Teachers of them as your Scholars and Children; therefore intend and attend this as your great Work and Buſineſs, in, or by Preaching, to make the people wiſe and more knowing, in the ſaving and ſanctified Knowledge of the Lord Jeſus.
Beloved Brethren, this is your and my Buſineſs, let us give all diligence to add and contribute more and more to the peoples knowledge, doing as Paul, Not ſeeking our own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be ſaved, 1 Cor. 10.33. Though wiſe Preachers muſt acquire knowledge firſt for themſelves, that they may wiſely Preach, or be wiſe for Preaching: Yet having obtained knowledge in themſelves, they muſt diſperſe knowledge to their people, and lay out all their endeavours, that the people may know what they know: This Paul did make his buſineſs, to make the Epheſians to underſtand his knowledge in the Myſtery of Chriſt. Epheſ. 3.4. When you read, you may underſtand my knowledge in the myſtery of Chriſt.
Mark, Paul is not content that he underſtand, but he Writes and Preaches, to make others underſtand his knowledge in Chriſt's Myſteries; not that his aim was to make them underſtand or know that he had knowledge or underſtanding to admire or depend upon him, but that they might know, in and for themſelves, what he knew in himſelf, and for them he laboured, that the people ſhould know and underſtand what of Chriſt he underſtood; and this ſeems to be his meaning, by what we find in verſ. 8, 9. where Paul ſaith, That unto him, leſs than the leaſt of all Saints, is this Grace given, That I ſhould Preach among the Gentiles the unſearchable riches of Chriſt. But mark the end for which Paul, and every Goſpel-Preacher, ſhould Preach the unſearchable riches of Chriſt; namely, to let all men ſee this is the end of Preaching, the peoples Seeing. Oh Preach, Seeing or Divine eyeſight into the people, infuſe or diſtil your knowledge, or Chriſt's knowledge into the people, that you may be rightly called, as the Prophets were of old time, even Seers from ſeeing, and ſhewing the mind of God to the people, 1 Sam. 9.9. Beloved, cauſe the Scales of Ignorance to fall from the eyes of the blind and ignorant people. Pity the people, and ſhew your burning love to Chriſt, by enlightning dark minds in the true knowledge of the Lord Jeſus; in ſtriving to promote and enlarge the peoples knowledge, help the people to come to this neceſſary knowledge, the knowledge of themſelves. The want of this knowledge, is the cauſe of the great prophaneneſs, ſecurity, and preſumption that abounds in the World, men's groſs ignorance of themſelves; men want true and ſufficient acquaintance of themſelves; of their ſinful, miſerable, loſt eſtate by Nature.
Oh! cauſe all men in their firſt Principle, and unconverted Eſtate, to know they are in a damnable and miſerable condition; there is but one ſtep between them and Hell, For God is angry with the wicked all the day long, (or every day) Pſal. 7.11. Make them know there is none good in his natural condition; there is none good, no not one that doeth good, no not one among all the multitude of unconverted Men and Women, for all are under ſin, both Jews and Gentiles, Rom. 3.9, 12.
Awaken mens Conſciences that are aſleep, to know and conſider the danger of a ſinful, Chriſtleſs condition; yea, make not only Publicans and Sinners know this to be their miſerable eſtate, but make Phariſees, and morally righteous Ones, to know this to be alſo their miſery; and that except they be born again of Water, and of the Spirit, they can never enter into the Kingdom of God, Joh. 3.5.
'Tis not onelyonly Drunkards, Swearers, Whoremongers, and Scoffers, cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, but alſo the loſtieſt pieces of Nature, that are but in a ſtate of Nature, as it is written, Except your righteouſneſs exceeds the righteouſneſs of the Scribes and Phariſees, ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Mat. 5.20. Oh! let ſuch underſtand, that though ſuch perſons actings Chriſt may love, yet oft-times he loves not the principle of their obedience, nor will ſave their Souls, as is hinted Mark 10.21, 22, 23. Man's good Nature, is bad Nature with God, and ſuch men are as fit and fair for Hell, as the worſt Natures, and vileſt of men, as Chriſt ſaith, Mat. 21.31. Preach to men the knowledge of themſelves, and their undone condition, without the Lord Jeſus and his Righteouſneſs; put them often in mind of that Scripture, 2 Tim. 3.5. Having a form of Godlineſs, but denying the power thereof; from ſuch turn away. Forms of Godlineſs, or Worſhip, will no more help a ſinful Creature to Heaven, than Food or Phyſick can give a dead man life, or ſtrength, or empty diſhes ſatisfie a hungry ſtomach. Though Rome ſay otherwiſe, that bare Forms will ſave ſinful Souls; as a little Water, Oyl, Cream, &c. uſed in Baptiſm, will ſave the Infant from damnation, and make it regenerate, and a Child of God; and that every one that receives their idol Hoſt in the Maſs, receives infallibly Jeſus Chriſt; and ſo in other particulars. But you that are wiſe Preachers, teach your people knowledge, and make them underſtand, That without holineſs no man ſhall ſee God, Heb. 12.14. Without forms men may go to Heaven, though never Baptiſed, and though they have never received the Supper of the Lord; but none without holineſs. Doing of thoſe things, whilſt in a ſtate of Nature, is not Holineſs; for the heart may be as unholy after as before, yea, in the very Act of Communion in the Ordinances, as Judas, Mat. 26.20, 23. Iſa. 1.11, to 16. with that excellent place, Gal. 6.15. Therefore Preach men into the underſtanding and knowledge of their own vileneſs and weakneſs, and unbottom men from leaning or depending on their moral or legal Righteouſneſs; make them know this was that Rock on which the Jews were ſplit, and dropt into Hell. Wherefore becauſe they ſought it not (meaning Righteouſneſs) by Faith, but as it ware, by the Works of the Law, Rom. 9.32.
But again, You that are wiſe Preachers, Preach the people into the knowledge of God, as well as into the knowledge of themſelves; make them to underſtand the knowledge of God, as juſt, and as merciful. Oh let ſinners know God is Juſt, Holy, and Righteous, And will by no means, or not at all clear the guilty, or acquit the wicked, Nahum. 1.3. Cauſe the deceived Multitude to know the Juſt and Holy Nature of God, that they may not flatter and deceive themſelves, with hopes and thoughts of happineſs in a ſinful ſtate, and wayes of wickedneſs, becauſe God is merciful and gracious; for he is alſo equally written to be Juſt and Holy, and a God viſiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children, and upon their Childrens Children, unto the third and fourth Generation, Exod. 34.7. Oh beloved, Cauſe ignorant Souls to know and conſider if God be juſt as well as merciful, that they muſt alſo be righteous and holy, or elſe God's juſtice will not ſpare them, but condemn them to all eternity, unleſs they believe on the Name of the Lord Jeſus. Oh! cauſe ſinners to know the Juſtice of God, and how impoſſible it is to walk on in wickedneſs and diſobedience to the Mind of God, and Righteouſneſs of the Goſpel, and be happy, by cauſing them to know the ſenſe of that Scripture, Deut. 29.19, 20. And it come to paſs, when he heareth the words of this curſe, that he bleſs himſelf in his heart; ſaying, I ſhall have peace, though I walk in the imaginations of my heart, to add drunkenneſs to thirſt: The Lord will not ſpare him, but then the anger of the Lord, and his jealouſie, ſhall ſmoke againſt that man, and all the curſes that are written in this Book, ſhall lie upon him, and the Lord ſhall blot out his name from under Heaven.
Brethren, when you have done this, make them know, that are bitten with fiery Serpents, that God hath provided a ranſom for wounded ſinners; and as Moſes lifted up the brazen Serpent in the Wilderneſs, ſo lift up the Lord Jeſus Chriſt in the Preaching of the Goſpel: ſhew all wounded and undone ſinners the way of healing, by the alone Righteouſneſs and Satisfaction of the Lord Jeſus; make them know, when wounded in Conſcience, and undone in themſelves, that then if they come ſinners, with their ſin and miſery upon them, without any Righteouſneſs, Qualifications, Preparations, or Performances, only as ſinners, with Ropes about their Necks, weary and heavy laden, he will eaſe them, and they ſhall find reſt to their Souls; and this without money, or monies worth; without regard to their humiliation, repentance, reformation, and amendment of life. Oh, make them underſtand the free Grace of God to the vileſt of returning ſinners, make them to know the new and unchangeable Covenant of God with his people, even the Covenant of freeſt Grace to pardon, in pardoning all ſinners, paſt, preſent, and to come, and never to alter or change the ſtate and happineſs of ſuch Souls to all eternity, Jer. 31.31, 32.
Oh be exhorted, all you that are and would be accounted wiſe Preachers, thus to Preach to your people, and teach them this good knowledge of God, both as juſt to all not in Chriſt, and merciful to all in Chriſt, how vile and miſerable ſoever in themſelves; and thus to do, is to teach the people knowledge aright. Oh Brethren, you Nurſes of the Children of God, draw out the Breſts of your Conſolation, and give the little ones of Chriſt nouriſhment; nouriſh them with the Word of knowledge; and having begotten them to Chriſt, do not ſtarve thoſe you have begotten to Chriſt, as bad Nurſes do many times their Children; but having begun a good work in any, perfect it to the day of Chriſt; be Epaphraſes, alwayes labouring, that the Saints may alwayes ſtand perfect and compleat in all the Will of God, Col. 4.12.
Objection; But ſome may poſſibly ſay to me, Is it in the Preachers power, how wiſe ſoever, to teach or infuſe knowledge into the people? Is not this the peculiar prerogative of Jeſus Chriſt, to be eyes to the blind, and to give underſtanding to the ſimple? And doth not Paul ſay, He may plant, and Apollo water, but God muſt give the increaſe, Prov. 8.14, 20. 1 Cor. 3.6. And therefore why do you urge it on the Preacher, as his Work and Duty, to diſtil and infuſe knowledge into the people, as if it were in his power to teach the people to know.
Anſwer; To this I Anſwer, Doubtleſs, and beyond a peradventure, it is in every wiſe Preachers power to do his duty, which is thus to lay out himſelf to the utmoſt, that the people may know.
And ſecondly, Every wiſe Preacher, and the moſt of Preachers, though wiſe, might do more at this work than they do.
But 3ly, Though without Divine concurrence and preſence with them in the Work, their Work will produce little; yet if they work not diligently at this work, very little advantage can be expected: But if they be faithful and painful, they may, yea, ſhall do much through him that ſtrengtheneth them, and hath promiſed to be with them in their way. They are in God's way, and in God's way God will be found, as he hath ſaid Exod. 4.12. with Mat. 28.20.
Laſtly, Wiſe Preachers ſhould ſtill teach the people knowledge; for though they know, they without God cannot teach the people knowledge; yet God can by them teach his people knowledge, even then when they think they can do leaſt for the people.
Therefore to conclude the Anſwer of this Objection, Let us that Preach the Goſpel, conſider that of Solomon, Eccleſ. 11.6. 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 alike good. Therefore you who are Spiritually-wiſe Preachers of the Goſpel, be prevailed upon, to make the peoples knowing, your main buſineſs and work in Preaching; like Paul, that great Preacher of the Gentiles, whoſe work was to teach all men in or unto all wiſdom, that he might preſent all men perfect in Chriſt Jeſus: Whereunto, ſaith he, I alſo labour, ſtriving, according to his working, which worketh in me mightily, Col. 1.28, 29. And to conclude this Uſe; Let as many as be perfect, be thus minded, Phil. 3.15.