The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 30
The ſecond Branch of Exhortation.
But ſecondly, Let me make from hence one word of Exhortation to ſuch as are Hearers. If the Preachers muſt ſeek, hunt, and ſearch after the mind of Chriſt to deliver it unto you, then do not you leſs, than ſeek, hunt and ſearch after the comprehending and underſtanding what you hear. Take Chriſt's Counſel, Luk. 8.18. Take heed therefore how you hear. Oh! if Preachers muſt be wiſe Preachers, be not you fooliſh or unwiſe Hearers; if they muſt be painful and careful Preachers, be you not ſlothful careleſs Hearers; if they muſt be watchful Preachers, I pray be not you ſleepy Hearers: For if they muſt give a ſevere account how they Preach, think not but you Hearers muſt give a ſtrict account how you hear; for it is written, God will deal with the Scholar as with the Maſter, Iſa. 24.2.
Oh, my Beloved, did Preachers know truly and ſufficiently the weight, want, and worth of preaching, they would doutbleſs take more heed how they preach; even ſo would you Hearers, did you but conſider the worth, want, and neceſſity of preaching, you would be more attentive, watchful, thankful, conſtant, fruitful Hearers: As negligent, careleſs, idle Preachers little know, or conſider the worth, or the price, or the miſery of Souls which are loſt for want of wiſe and careful preaching; no more do you idle, ſleepy, forgetful, unfruitful Hearers, know or conſider the worth or price of your immortal Souls, nor the danger of your eternal condition, if you obey not the Goſpel.
Oh Beloved! take heed to your ſelves, and to your feet, when you go to Hearing; and if you have any reſpect for the Lord Jeſus, value of the Goſpel, love to your Preachers, or regard or pity to your own Souls, do not thus evilly requite the Lord, your Labourers, yea, your own Souls, a… to be unworthy, careleſs, heedleſs, mindleſs, heartleſs, fruitleſs Hearers of the Goſpel; which with ſo much wiſdom and warineſs ought to be preached to you. Should a moſt choice Phyſician take pity of a poor dying Patient, and ſit down, and turn over all his Experiences, and take the greateſt ca… he can to conſider his Patients condition, and preſcribe a Potion moſt ſutable, moſt ſafe and profitable for his Patient; and then his Patient ſhould either refuſe to accept it, and neglect to read it, and reſolve never to improve it; would not you ſay, This was a moſt unwiſe, unworthy, and ungrateful Perſon, to deal thus unworthily with his loving Friend and faithful Phyſitian. Oh my Beloved! know and conſider this day, ſuch, even ſuch, are all ſuch unwiſe, unworthy Hearers, a… when their loving, wiſe, and faithful Preache… have been diligently examining and conſidering their Souls caſe and condition; and having ſound… not only their Diſeaſe, but their infallible Remedy, when they come and bring it unto you by the preaching of the Goſpel, and you Hearers, with one conſent ſlight it and neglect it; one ſaying, He will not put himſelf or Family to the trouble to come out of doors to hear it; another, he will come, but 'tis to ſleep; a third, but 'tis to carp and cavil at it through his own faults, and inſtead of watching his own heart, he watches for the Preachers halting; a fourth may come and hear, but careleſly, more minding his eaſe, and his dreſt, and his company, than the Sermon or his duty; a fifth may hear, but forget; a ſixth, but not believe, but diſpute what he hears; and a feventh, though he hears, and underſtands, and remembers, yet comes prepared and reſolved to be Sermon proof, and not obey what he hears, ſay the Preacher what he pleaſes.
Oh my Beloved! are not all theſe unthankful, and unworthy Hearers of the Word, and ſuch as give both God and Men occaſion to be weary of them, and to ſhake off the duſt of their feet againſt them, and ſay, Since by this doing you judge your ſelves unworthy of the Goſpel, Lo, we turn to the Gentiles, Acts 13.46.
I have done now with this Uſe, and ſhall con…ude both this Doctrine and this Exhortation, with two Scriptures; one is that James 1.19, with … Wherefore, my beloved Brethren, let every man … ſwift to hear, ſlow to ſpeak, ſlow to wrath; being doers of the Word, and not Heares onelyonly, decerving your own Souls, or your own ſelves. The other paſſage is Epheſ. 5.15, 16. See then, I ſay, Preacher and Hearer, ſee to it, that you walk circumſpectly, not as fools, but as wiſe, redeeming the time, becauſe the dayes are evil. Thus much for this particular.
I now proceed to the next, which are theſe, And ſet in order many Proverbs or Parables.
Theſe words contain another deſcription of the wiſe Preacher's Work, that is, To endeavour to ſet in order many Proverbs.
Two things need a little clearing.
Firſt, What is meant by a Proverb.
Secondly, What it is to ſet Proverbs in order.
Proverbs, I ſuppoſe, either are to be taken literally and ſtrictly; or, ſecondly, more largely and figuratively. Litterally, by Proverbs, are intended any pithy, ſhort, witty, or ſignificant kind of Expreſſion. Thus we have the word uſed, Prov. 1.6. To underſtand a Proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wiſe, and their dark ſayings. Proverbs, as ſtrictly conſidered, are witty, wiſe, dark, and ſhort Sayings; and if we look upon ſome few of theſe Preachers Proverbs, you ſhall find all this in them; as to inſtance Chap. 20.17. with verſ. 30. and a multitude beſides. But although this Preacher's way and wiſdom led him this way thus to declare his wiſdom, and give forth himſelf; yet we muſt take heed of tying all Preachers to this way, or in this ſenſe to ſpeak, or give forth Proverbs; but to ſpeak or ſet forth Proverbs in a more large and general ſignification, that is, wiſe Preachers ſhould give forth wiſdom and knowledge to the people, though not in the way or form of a Proverb ſtrictly conſidered. He ought to make the People, with himſelf, to underſtand the Nature, Order, Senſe, and right uſe of Divine-Things, Knowledge, or the Word of God; and this is that the wiſe Preacher here intends or ſpeaks of; and this indeed is the Preacher's work and wiſdom, to ſet forth the Proverbs of Scripture in order, or to unvail or declare their true Scope, Uſe, and Excellency.