The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 29
The firſt Branch.
Firſt, Let me preſume to ſpeak a few words to all ſuch as fear the Lord, and preach the Goſpel of our Lord Jeſus; firſt, Be exhorted ſo to Preach, or make manifeſt the Goſpel, as it ought to be preached or made manifeſt, as Paul words it, Col. 4.3, 4. Oh! as wiſe Preachers, and not unwiſe, ſeek and ſearch after the mind of Chriſt, contained in the Proverbs, Problems, or Word of Chriſt. Oh! hunt as Hunts-men do for Game; follow it hard, and follow it cloſe, through thick and through thin, through Bryars and through Thorns, as ſuch who are reſolved not to loſe their time, and labour or deſire, if it be poſſible. Even ſo let every wiſe Goſpel-Preacher endeavour to preach the Goſpel, as ſtriving not to loſe his labour; ſo Preaching, that he may reap the Harveſt or Bleſſing of his preaching; and not onelyonly preach, but ſo preach, as every wiſe Preacher ought to preach; not only unto men, or unto mens ears, but unto mens ears, and into mens hearts alſo, if poſſible. Thus Paul preached to the Galatians, travelling in Soul for the good of their Souls, until Chriſt was formed in them.
Oh Beloved! ſtudy not only to preach Notions unto the People, ſo much as to preach Motions into the People, that Chriſt may be formed in them. Oh! ſtudy Soul-convincing, and Soul-converting Doctrine, ſtriving and deſigning that all your Hearers may be delivered into the form of that Doctrine, which from Chriſt, by you, is to them delivered. Oh! this will cauſe you, not only to have matter of Peace, but of Joy and Thankſgiving alſo with Paul, Rom. 6.17. It is eaſier to ſeek out, and find out a Sermon to preach unto the People, than to find out this skill and wiſdom, how to be able to diſtil or preach a Sermon into the People; for if God, that gives us a Door, yea, an open Door of Utterance unto the People, do not alſo graciouſly give us a Door, an open Door of Entrance into the People; alſo our Preaching will be vain and loſt Preaching, as to the People to whom we Preach; no good will be done, the People will be undone rather by us, for the better the Preacher is, and the more he preaches, and the People not the better, but the worſe; the more dangerous is that peoples caſe and condition, and the greater will be their damnation. Wo to thee Capernaum, which art exalted to Heaven, thou ſhalt be brought down to Hell; For if the mighty Works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained till this day: But I ſay, It ſhall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom, in the Day of Judgment, than for thee, Mat. 11.23.24. Oh therefore, as the High Prieſts of old bare the Children of Iſraels Names upon their Breaſts, even ſo let all wiſe Preachers carry their Hearers upon their Hearts, that God would make their labour of love uſeful, and not a ſavour of death unto death, unto any of them.
But again, Let me perſwade and exhort ſuch as Preach, to ſeek that they may firſt be preached to, and that doubly.
Get thy Soul, firſt, preached into Chriſt, before ever thou goeſt to preach Chriſt unto any.
Secondly, Get the mind of Chriſt preached unto thy Soul, before thou goeſt about to preach the mind of Chriſt to any Soul; remembring what is written, How can they preach except they be ſent? Rom. 10.15. Oh Preachers! ſeek before ever, or whenſoever you go to preach to others, to get Chriſt to preach forth his bleſſed Truth; to the which he would that day have preached forth by thee to others: For how can one receive any thing, except it be given him from Above, or from Heaven, Joh. 3.27. Oh ſeek, and ſearch out diligently what Meſſage is moſt meet for the People; and what Meſſage Chriſt would have thee now hand forth to the People; for 'tis not every Meſſage, but preſent Meſſage, is a meet Meſſage to be delivered to the People: This we have hinted in the Deſcription of the wiſe Scribe, that he brings forth of his Treaſury things new and old, things ſutable and neceſſary for preſent concernment, Mat. 13.52. The Peoples preſent need, ſhould be every wiſe Preacher's buſineſs to ſupply, and that in the firſt place. Oh ſearch, as after the Peoples Leſſons, ſo after the Peoples profiting; be not fooliſh Seedſmen as to ſow your Seed, yea, Chriſt's principal immortal Seed of the Word, and never look after it; be not like the World's Sons of Levi, that only preach, to preach themſelves into the People, and the Peoples Money into their Pockets; and having performed as much of this as Law requires, and will effect their end, they never care what becomes of their preaching. Oh, pray over your preaching, yea, pray after your preaching, that God would bleſs your preaching; and add the upper, as the nether Springs to your preaching, and not let you run and labour in vain. Search after the profiting of your Hearers, and ſee how the Seed ſown makes increaſe, in ſome thirty, in ſome ſixty, in ſome an hundred fold, Mark 4.8.
But again, Let me once more exhort wiſe Preachers to ſeek out the deep things of God, contained in the Myſteries of the Goſpel, or manifold wiſdom of God. Oh! be not blind Leaders of the blind World, leſt you and they fall into the Ditch; ſearch and ſtudy the Scriptures, which are able to make the Preacher, or the Man of God, perfect, or throughly furniſhed unto preaching. Knowledge, Goſpel-Knowledge, is deep Waters: Apply your diligence to draw it out of the Wells of Salvation.
But laſtly, Suffer me to add one word of Exhortation more; Search and ſee there be no root of Gall or Wormwood ſpringing up to trouble you in your Work; I mean, ſee that the mouths of gain-ſayers, and ſuch as oppoſe your preaching, or ſlander your good Converſation, be ſilenc'd, that they which ſpeak evil of you may be aſhamed. The better and more wiſely any Preacher preaches, the more will be his oppoſition, and therefore his wiſdom ſhould be, to take away occaſion from ſuch as ſeek occaſion, that they of the contrary part may be aſhamed. Oh ſeek to preach preventingly, that whoſoever be Hearers, they may not find any occaſion againſt you, ſave onelyonly in the matter of your God. Strive to countermine Satan and Sinners, that whilſt you are ſowing precious Seed, will not ſpare to ſow the Tares. Therefore ſtrive ſo to preach, as to leave them no place or advantage for the Tares; yea, ſeek eſpecially ſo to preach, as the Children that come to you for Bread may not meet with Stones, or ſuppoſe you give them Serpents for Fiſhes; I mean, Fancies and Errors, inſtead of wholſome Food or Goſpel-Truths. Oh! preach plainly, preach purely, preach powerfully, preach plentifully, preach wiſely or warily, leſt you offend one of thoſe little Ones, or ſo much as give them any ſhew or appearance of exception o… ſtumbling; nay, let them not have ſo much as ſubterfuge, evaſion, ſhift, or project, to put by the force and ſcope of your preaching, or to hide themſelves under from obeying the Truth; but let every Soul be without excuſe in the day of Chriſt; and this is to be a wiſe Preacher, and to ſeek out and ſet in order many Proverbs and Parables. So much for this firſt Branch of the Exhortation.