The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 33 – Part 34
The tenth Doctrine.
That the wiſdom and work of wiſe Preachers, is, and ought to be, to preach acceptable words, or acceptably.
I ſhall the briefer paſs through this Doctrine, becauſe I have had occaſion already to ſpeak to the main things in it contained. Wherefore for the proof of what hath been aſſerted, to wit, That every wiſe Preacher's wiſdom and work, is to preach acceptable words, or acceptably; Conſider, This is Paul's charge, not to Timothy only, but in him to all Preachers, to preach acceptable words, as you have it in the following words of the Text, words of Truth: Hold faſt the form of ſound words which thou haſt heard from me, 2 Tim. 1.13. So to Titus, ſpeaking what Preachers or Elders of Churches ſhould be, he ſaith, They ſhould be men able, by ſound Doctrine, both to exhort and convince gain-ſayers, Tit. 1.9. ſo Chap. 2.1. Speak thou the thing which becometh ſound Doctrine; and once more you have it given in charge among other Directions, Sound ſpeech that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be aſhamed, having no evil thing to ſay of you, verſ. 8. And this Paul begs the Prayers of Saints to God for him in this behalf, That he might not onelyonly Speak, or Preach, but ſo Speak or Preach as he ought to do, Epheſ. 6.20. with Col. 4.4.
But may not ſome ſay; How doth it appear all this while, that preaching ſound words, is preaching acceptable words?
However I ſhall grant, That to unſound hearts, unſound words are and may be moſt acceptable, as we read where the People ſpake to the Prophet, ſaying, Propheſie not unto us right things; ſpeak unto us ſmooth things, propheſie deceits, Iſa. 30.10. Yet ſound Hearts, or gracious Hearers, they count no words acceptably ſpoken, or worthy their acceptation, but ſound and wholſome words; as we read of the Church of Epheſus, that they hated the Deeds, or the Doctrine of the Nicholaitans, which the Lord alſo hated, Rev. 2.6.
In the opening of this term, acceptable words, I told you it implyed words of truth; which, and which only, ought of honeſt and wiſe Hearers to be accepted. Therefore to preach ſound words, or words of Truth, is to preach acceptable words; being ſuch words which only ſhould be preached, and are alwayes worthy of all mens acceptation. And doubtleſs, this among other things Paul alſo intended in that phraſe, to ſpeak as he ought; that is, only and alwayes Truth, or the lively Oracles of God; not but that Preachers have other things to mind, that their words may be acceptable words.
So, ſecondly; Seaſonable words are, or ought to be accounted acceptable words: Therefore Solomon, ſpeaking of ſeaſonable words, ſaith, A word ſpoken in due ſeaſon, how good is it? or, how acceptable is it? Prov. 15.23. Now, a word may be fitly ſaid to be ſeaſonable or ſeaſonably ſpoken, either in reference to God's account, or the peoples concernments. Firſt, In reference to God's, when God's Cauſe and Honour calls for our ſpeaking, then to ſpeak ſuch words as may moſt conduce to the Cauſe and Caſe in hand, is to ſpeak acceptable or ſeaſonable words, ſuch as wiſe Preachers ought to ſeek out, & ſpeak out. Such were Mordecai's words to Heſter, when he declared to her the ſtate of the Jews, and charged her, That ſhe ſhould go in unto the King to make ſupplication to him, and to make requeſt before him for her People, Chap. 4.8. And when ſhe ſeems to be backward to entertain theſe words, verſ. 10, 11. Mordecai doubles former ſeaſonable words, as becomes wiſe Preachers ſo to do, and tells her, Think not that thou ſhalt eſcape in the Kings Houſe, more than all the Jews: For if thou altogether holdeſt thy peace at this time, then ſhall their enlargement ariſe from another place, but thou and thy Fathers Houſe ſhall be deſtroyed, verſ. 13, 14. The like ſeaſonable were the words of Elijah, both to the King and to the People, when he told the King, I have not troubled Iſrael, but thou and thy Fathers Houſe, in that ye have forſaken the Commandments of the Lord, and ye have followed. Baalim; and to the People, when he ſaid, How long halt ye between two Opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him, 1 Kings 18.18, 21. And ſuch were Paul's words to the Athenians, when he ſaw them ſo given to Idolatry, Acts 17.16, to the cloſe of that Chapter.
And by the way note, That oft-times God, in a wonderful manner, ſtirs-up the Spirits of his Servants to be ſpeaking ſuch acceptable words as are timous and moſt ſeaſonable, in order to preſent work, as in the inſtances cited, with many more may eaſily appear.
But ſecondly, Words may then be counted ſeaſonable and acceptable, when moſt ſutable to, or ſuiting with the Peoples preſent Caſe, State, and Neceſſities. The work of wiſe Preachers ſhould be, to ſute their words to ſuch occaſions, when a People are ſecure, ſetled in ſin and ſinful wayes; then awakening, quickning, reproving words are moſt ſeaſonable, and to God moſt acceptable when ſpoken, and ſhould be ſo to the People. Such were John's words to the ſinful Jews, when he ſaw many of the Phariſees and Sadduces come to his Baptiſm, he ſaid unto them, O generation of Vipers, who hath warned you to fly from the wrath to come? bring forth therefore fruit meet for repentance; and think not to ſay within your ſelves, We have Abraham to our Father. When the Peoples caſe is trouble and ſorrow for ſin, then comforting words are ſeaſonable and acceptable words. This the Lord himſelf teacheth, ſaying, Speak ye comfortably to Jeruſalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accompliſhed, Iſa. 40.1, 2. And in obedience hereunto, when Peter ſaw that the People were pricked at their hearts, he ſaid unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt, and ye ſhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghoſt; for the promiſe is to you, and to your Children, and to all that are after off, even as many as the Lord our God ſhall call, Acts 2.38, 39. When the People are ignorant of Truths neceſſary, or in ſome ſenſe of neceſſity to be at preſent known; Now 'tis wiſe Preachers work, to ſeek out ſeaſonable and acceptable words of information, for the removing the peoples ignorance. Thus Peter did in that fore-cited Acts 2.14, 15. And thus did thoſe wiſe ones Aquila and Priſcilla deal with Apollos, Acts 18.24, 25, 26.
To name no more Inſtances of this kind, When words may truly be ſeaſonable and acceptable, or both; I ſay, when we ſee the Peoples ſin openly, and dangerous to the inſnaring and indangering of others, then 'tis moſt ſeaſonable to ſtep in with reproving words. Thus Paul dealt with Peter, Gal. 2.12, 13, 14. And with the ſame ſpirit we find him acting againſt Elimas the Sorcerer, when he ſought to turn away the Deputy from the Faith, Acts 13.9, 10, 11.
Thus much may ſuffice for the proving and opening the Point; let me now give you two or three Reaſons or Arguments why this muſt needs be a Truth.
Reaſon 1.
Firſt; Becauſe 'tis then only, Preachers can be ſaid in preaching to preach, or in doing the work of preaching to preach, when we preach acceptably, or ſpeak ſeaſonable words. All other preaching is fooliſh preaching, or for the preſent but loſt preaching. But again;
Reaſon 2.
Secondly; Such Preachers and Preaching, are only acceptable to God, as ſuch only ſhould be to wiſe Hearers, as the Lord ſeems to imply in that expreſſion of the Prophet, He that hath a Dream, let him tell a Dream; and he that hath my Word, let him ſpeak my Word faithfully. What is the Chaff to the Wheat? ſaith the Lord, Jer. 23.28.
Reaſon 3.
Laſtly; Preachers ought to ſeek out acceptable words, becauſe ſuch preaching will only anſwer our engagements and pretentions both to God and Man: Our engagement, who preach, is like our Lord Chriſt, who ſaid, I came from Heaven, not to do my own Will, but the Will of him that ſent me, John 6.38. And no Preacher is ſo fooliſh or unwiſe a Preacher, as to pretend leſs than thus to do; wherefore let as many as preach be ſo wiſe and honeſt to do what they pretend to do, and as Paul ſaith, Not to preach themſelves, but Chriſt Jeſus the Lord; and themſelves Servants for Jeſus ſake, 2 Cor. 4.5.
I proceed now to the Application, becauſe I promiſed to be ſhort.
Uſe of Reproof.
The firſt Uſe may be for a word of Reproof to as many Preachers that are not ſo wiſe as to make this their work, to ſeek out acceptable ſeaſonable words, even ſound words, or words of truth and uprightneſs. Oh, how many fooliſh, careleſs, and unconſcionable Preachers there are, that neither ſtudy the Scriptures to find out ſounds words, nor conſult with God, or with the People, to know what may be an acceptable word, or a word ſpoken in due ſeaſon, either in reference to what God is a doing, or the People are wanting in. Theſe may more aptly be ſtiled fooliſh than wiſe Preachers, who more ſtudy humane than divine Writ; and conſult the mind of men, eſpecially great men, rather than the mind of God; and their own gain and intereſt, more than the Peoples profit.
All I ſhall further ſay to theſe is, As their ſin is great againſt God and the Souls of the People; even ſo, without repentance, and more wiſdom, their judgment will be heavy, and their damnation ſlumbers not. Let ſuch think ſeriouſly of that ſaying of Peter, But theſe, as natural bruit beaſts, made to be taken and deſtroyed, ſpeak evil of the things they underſtand not, and ſhall utterly periſh in their own corruption, 2 Pet. 2.12. But to be brief.