The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 32
Ʋſe of Exhortation.
Oh, let ſuch remember, and never forget, it is their Duty and Buſineſs to ſet God's Proverbs in order; that is, in God's, or Goſpel-order, that he that runs may read the Viſions of God in the Scripture. Oh, let us not be like the fooliſh Preachers which the Lord reproveth by the Prophet, ſaying, Seameth it a ſmall thing to you, to have eaten up the good paſture, but ye muſt tread down with your foot the reſidue of your paſtures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye muſt foul the reſidue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which you have troden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. Therefore, behold, ſaith the Lord, I will judge you, Ezek. 34.18, 19, 20.
I beſeech you, dear Brethren, let it be our Work and Buſineſs to do what the Prophet was commanded to do, when the Lord anſwered and ſaid, Write the Viſion, and make it plain upon Tables, that he that runneth may read it, Habak. 2.2. Oh, let it be our main buſineſs, not onelyonly to know that the Lord hath Proverbs, and that our Lord Jeſus ſpake nothing without a Parable, Mat. 13.34. that is, little without a Parable: I ſay, This is not ſo much our buſineſs, as to comprehend and underſtand how to ſet theſe Parables in order, in due order, in their own order. Oh, this is neceſſary and becoming wiſe Preachers thus to do, and not to ſet Proverbs out of order, into their own or other mens order, labouring more in Preaching to keep cloſe to their own or other mens ſenſe and order in opening the Scripture, than unto Chriſt's and the Scriptures order. It matters not what Commentary, or Comment… or, we decline or contradict, ſo we harmonize the Scripture, and agree with the Original, Senſe, and Scope thereof: Let ſuch as preach, and would preach wiſely and approvedly, b…onfult the Senſe and Interpretation of Text, as well as Obſervation or Application of Text. For how can the Obſervation be true or natural, or the Application forcible and ſtrong, if the Interpretation be wrong? Oh, ta…e heed of wronging Proverbs, by knocking Proverbs, even God's Proverbs, out of order; and lie, and ſay not the truth, when you ſay the Lord ſaith it, or the Lord's Word teacheth it; and the Lord hath not ſaid it, neither doth his Word reach it. Oh, think frequently of that word, Behold, I am againſt the Prophets, ſaith the Lord, that uſe their tongues, and ſay, The Lord ſaith it, Jer. 23.31. Think it not wiſdom or excellency, to darken, vail, or lobſcure the Scripture, or the Proverbs thereof; but to unvail or enlighten the Scripture; that is, make its real Light appear: leſt by ſo doing, we not only contract to our ſelves our own, but the ſins of other men alſo, even the ſin and right to the puniſhment of as many as have received and believed our dreams for the Viſions of the Lord. 'Tis more than we can well bear, our own guilt, and the chaſtiſements of our own ſins and errors: But O! how intolerable and heavy may it prove to us, to bear the guilt or puniſhment of the many deceived and corrupted by us. The greateſt of Preachers and Writers, without conformity to this Doctrine, lie in greateſt danger, as being the greateſt of Deceivers.
But I ſhall ſay no more to this Uſe or Doctrine, ſave only a cloſing word, becauſe I am ſpeaking to the wiſe, and a word to the wiſe may ſuffice: and truly ſuch as are otherwiſe, 'tis not the many words will do any good, as Solomon tells us; Though thou ſhouldeſt bray a fool in a morter among wheat with a peſtle, yet will not his fooliſhneſs depart from him, Prov. 27.22. Wherefore, my Brethren, let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwiſe minded, God ſhall reveal even this unto you, Philippians 3.15. And ſo I come to the next verſe, or next words of the Text; though I might offer another Obſervation from the number of Proverbs, the wiſe Preacher ſet in order; 'tis many, or the All of the many Proverbs that are in the Scripture.
We might note, Wiſe Preachers are fruitful Preachers, not barren, lean, or dry Preachers, that can onelyonly interpret ſome one or other ſingle Proverb; but can ſet in order the many or manifold Proverbs in the Scripture; but I ſhall rather proceed and haſten to a cloſe.
As this Scripture is Prophetical, and looks towards the truly wiſe, or tranſcendently wiſe Preacher, our Lord Jeſus, that greater than Solomon, we might note divers things, but this I now ſhall want time for; you find in verſ. 10. The Preacher ſought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
In general, This Verſe gives us account of what the Preacher ſought, even acceptable words; and this is the ſecond thing he ſought, as this verſe compared with the former acquaints us.
But more particularly, In the Verſe we have two things.
Firſt; An account of what the Preacher ſought to find out, even acceptable words.
Secondly; The excellency or property of thoſe acceptable words, in theſe words, and that which was written, was upright, even words of truth, or according to truth; not only upright, but alſo words of truth.
To begin with the firſt of theſe; The Preacher ſought to find out acceptable words. This is every wiſe Preacher's Work, to ſeek how to find out acceptable words, or how to make his words acceptable.
For the improvement of theſe words, one queſtion is neceſſary to be reſolved, to wit, What acceptable words are, or ſuch acceptable words are which Preachers ought to ſeek out?
I Anſwer; Firſt, Negatively, Not flattering words, or deceitful words, though ſometimes ſuch words Preachers ſeek out, and the People account them acceptable; as in that paſſage of the falſe Prophets, who knowing the affection of the King to be for War, finds out acceptable, but deceitful words; who ſaid, with one conſent, Go up, for the Lord ſhall deliver it into the hands of the King, 1 Kings 22.6. But you find theſe were neither upright words, nor words of truth, but of deceit and falſhood, as the conſequent declared it; but the words the wiſe Preacher ſought to find out, as acceptable to the People, were upright, even words of truth.
But ſecondly, Affirmatively; I ſay, Acceptable words, which wiſe Preachers ſhould or do ſeek to find out, are words meet to be accepted from him that preaches, by them to whom he preaches; and ſo is every word of truth in the general, though ſome words more eſpecially; as Paul implies in that expreſſion, This is a ſaying worthy of all acceptation, that Jeſus Chriſt came into the World to ſave ſinners, of whom I am chief, 1 Tim. 1.15.
Thirdly, Acceptable words, imply words which God accepts, and therefore ſhould be acceptable with the People; Though the People do not accept them, yet they may be accepted of God. Such were Mieaiah's words to the King, when he ſaid, I ſaw all Iſrael ſcattered upon the Hills, as Sheep that have no Shepherd; and the Lord ſaid, Theſe have no Maſter, let them return every man to his Houſe in peace, 1 Kings 22.17.
Fourthly, Acceptable words, imply ſometimes ſuch words as are not only words of truth in themſelves, and ſo acceptable to God, but words accepted with the People, and ſo acceptable in all reſpects. Such were Philip's words to the Eunuch, If thou believeſt with all thy heart, thou mayeſt, Acts 8.37. The former of theſe cannot be wanting in an acceptable word, the latter may, and yet the words be acceptable; as in that of Jeremiah, when he told the King of Judah, Behold, Pharaohs Army which is come forth to help you, ſhall return to Egypt into their own Land, and the Caldeans ſhall come again, and fight againſt this City, and take it, and burn it with fire, Jer. 37.7, 8. But though theſe words were acceptable, or truth in themſelves, and ſo to the Lord, and ſhould have been ſo to them, as being profitable to them: Yet for all this they were unacceptable to them, as is manifeſt verſ. 15. Wherefore the Princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and ſmote him, and put him in Priſon.
This may ſuffice for the Anſwer of this great Queſtion: What acceptable words are? Let me now raiſe this Obſervation or Concluſion.