The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 39
Ʋſe of Exhortation.
But ſecondly, and eſpecially, Let this be matter of Exhortation to us all, even as many as fear the Lord, both Preachers and Hearers, to labour for, and walk in a Spirit of Truth and Uprightneſs. This we have ſeen is a moſt excellent choice frame of Spirit, in the eſteem both of God and Man. Oh therefore, labour to attain ſuch a frame of Spirit; For naturally our Spirits are otherwiſe in the frames of them; for what the Prophet once ſaid, is ſtill truth, Every one is an hypocrite, and an evil doer, and every mouth ſpeaketh folly or falſhood, Iſa. 9.17. 'Tis Mortification of earthly Members, and Sanctification of the Spirit, muſt make us Men or Women of this frame of Spirit; for naturally we are born of another temper, and you who know what Mortification is, know it is not eaſie work to mortifie the deeds of the fleſh; but be it what it may be, yet be prevealed upon, in the fear of the Lord, to ſet upon this duty, even to get our Spirits into this frame, even into this good frame; and if it will coſt us the plucking out of our right eyes, or cutting off our right hands, yet ſubſcribe to it.
And firſt, Let me freely tender this word of Exhortation to us that are Preachers, and ſhould be wiſe Preachers, ſeeking out acceptable words; and that which by us is at any time preached and written upon the heart of the People, ſhould be upright, even words of truth. Let us be a living Word, as well as a ſpeaking Word; let our lips and our lives joyn together, and ſpeak one thing, even Holineſs to Jehovah. Oh, let not us reprove ſin in others, and allow or indulge it in our ſelves. What is that but down-right diſſimulation? Oh, let us not commend Patience, and be impatient; and Humility, and be Sons of Pride our ſelves. This is not to walk with the foot of uprightneſs according to the Goſpel; This is not to be a wiſe, but an unwiſe Preacher, if not a proud Phariſee, and a very Hypocrite. Wherefore, if a Preacher, be under ſuch temptations; as to pretend Chriſt, and preach Self; and to ſeek Chriſt, and ſeek moſtly Self; as to cry down all ſin, and yet live in cry'd down ſins; to commend Grace and Vertue, and yet live ſhort in Grace, and empty of Virtue; placing thy excellency and piety in ſeeming ſo, and ſaying ſo, and in waſhing the out-ſide, neglecting the inſide; make broad the Phylacteries, and enlarging the borders of your Garments, that is, in uſing ſingular or peculiar reſtraints, and modes of Geſture and Veſture, from other ſober and pious Perſons. Oh, know 'tis not marring of our Beards or Locks, and having our Cloaks long, and our Girdles ſtrait, that can or will prove us wiſe Preachers, or men of this excellent Spirit of Uprightneſs and Truth. Oh no! we may be Fools and Hypocrites for all this; and therefore it nearly ſtands us upon to do as that great Preacher and Apoſtle of the Gentiles did; Even to keep under (or beat black and blew) our body, and bring it into ſubjection, leſt (O mark it) that by any means, when I have preached to others, I my ſelf ſhould be a caſt-away, 1 Cor. 9.27. And anſwer all temptations to contrary-mindedneſs or contrary-ſpiritedneſs to this Doctrine and frame of Spirit, as good Nehemiah did, ſaying, Shall ſuch a man as I flee? Who being as I am, would deſiſt? Chap. 6.11. So let us. Who that is as I am, a Man, Ah more than a Man, a Chriſtian; yea more than a Chriſtian, a Preacher to Chriſtians, that would ſeek great things for himſelf, under pretence of ſeeking great things for Chriſt? Oh, who that were a Preacher as I, and preached down Covetouſneſs, Idleneſs, Earthly-mindedneſs in others, would live in theſe things himſelf? Oh no, my Soul, I will not, I dare not, leſt I be not found a wiſe, but an unwiſe Preacher, and that which by me is written or preached, be not words of Truth and Uprightneſs. And in the Cloſe, what-ever I may be to others, I be to my ſelf a caſt-away. O therefore, let Preachers eſpecially receive and improve this Exhortation, and ſee that our converſation be only as becometh the Goſpel, Phil. 1.27. And to cloſe up this Head of Exhortation, Let as many as are and would be found wiſe Preachers, be perſwaded to think often and deeply of that Scripture, 2 Cor. 4. Therefore, ſeeing we have this Miniſtry, as we have received Mercy, we faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of diſhoneſty; not walking in craftineſs, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifeſtation of the truth, commending our ſelves to every man's Conſcience in the ſight of God.
Having thus tendred my Mite to Preachers, let me now be your Exhorter that are Hearers; Men and Women fearing the Lord, Oh, let this be your frame of Spirit, be like your Father Jacob, of a plain Spirit; who hath his commendation in his youth, that he was a plain man, Gen. 25.27. Oh, ſuch let us that fear the Lord be, let our inſide be manifeſt by our out-ſide; let our Words and our Works agree; our profeſſions both to God and Man, and our performances agree and correſpond together; let our Light and our Life agree, our publick and private walking agree; ſo ſhewing forth, that we are Iſraelites indeed, in whom there is no guile. Even the Epiſtle of Chriſt, written not with Ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in Tables of Stone, but in fleſhly Tables of the heart, as we have it 2 Cor. 3.3. Oh, 'tis living forth this Doctrine, will ſpeak us forth clearly to be Chriſtians, or the Epiſtles of Chriſt, when we have ſuch frames of Spirit as are throughly ſeaſoned with Uprightneſs and Truth. Chriſtians, look to your frame of Spirit; Hypocrites can look to their Words and Speeches. Look you to your Hearts, good Words and good Works Hypocrites have for God; 'tis Saints onelyonly have good Hearts for God. Oh, look well to your Spirits, how the frame ſtands bent, whether for Truth and Uprightneſs, or for Falſhood and Hypocriſie; and forget not that word Mal. 2.15. Take heed to your Spirits: Oh, dreſs your Spirits with Truth and Uprightneſs, for the dreſs of the Soul goes further with God, than all the dreſſes of the Body with men can do; as Peter informs us, where he adviſes Women, Not to let their adorning be outward adorning, but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit, which in the fight of God is of great price, 1 Pet. 3.3, 4. Oh my Brethren, look moſtly after the dreſs and adorning of your Spirits, for God is not only a Spirit, but converſeth moſt with the Spirits, and moſt delights in the well ordering and compoſure of the Spirit. Wherefore ſeeing the delight and ſacrifice of God, is a broken and a contrite Spirit; give unto God a plain Spirit of Truth and Uprightneſs, knowing that our God loves Uprightneſs.
And to quicken us to the acceptance of this Exhortation, let me give you and my ſelf a few Motives and Encouragements to induce us to be of this bleſſed frame of Spirit.