The Wise Gospel Preacher, Title page – Dedication
The WISE Goſpel-Preacher HIS Praiſe and Practice, Duty and Dignity, Opened in a SERMON On ECCLES. 12.9.
By S. M. Miniſter of the Goſpel.
Iſa. 52.7. How beautiful upon the Mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tydings, that publiſheth peace, &c.
Printed for the Author.
To that Congregation over whom the Lord hath made me an Overſeer; Increaſe of Grace here, and Glory hereafter.
BRethren and Beloved in our Lord Jeſus, theſe Sermons as they were preached amongſt you, even ſo was their Publication earneſtly ſollicited by ſome of you, at whoſe requeſt I have yeelded to that I deſigned not in their Preaching, nor intended to have done long ſince that task was finiſhed: But remembring I am not only a Debtor to Jew and Gentile, but more eſpecially to you alſo, not onelyonly by one means, but by every means, to endeavour your furtherance in the Faith, I judged my ſelf obliged to help you with that Printed, which the Lord gave you in Preaching: And I may ſafely ſay, ſo near as I could, your Eys now have only what once your Ears heard. As to you my Beloved, whoſe importunity prevailed upon me to undertake this Work, know two Arguments prevailed upon me to Anſwer your Requeſt; The one, My Love towards you; the other, My deſire of your Spiritual and Eternal Welfare; and if my Labour of Love for your ſakes may providentially extend or reach to the advantage of any others that love the Lord Jeſus in ſincerity, I therein ſhall and will rejoyce. I need not here give you any account of the Nature of this Treatiſe, you well know, it is to open both the Wiſe-Preachers and the Wiſe-Hearers Work and Buſineſs; you know I need the one, and I alſo judge you want not need ſufficient to learn the other: As to the Method it is and ought to be plain, as beſt becoming Goſpel-Myſteries; 'twas Truth, not Humane Wiſdom or Eloquence that I deſigned to manifeſt; and ſurely ſhould I thus have acted, I ſhould have pull'd down with one hand what I was ſetting up with the other, and ſo ſhould have been found a tranſgreſſor: As to my often hinting of any thing minded in this Diſcourſe, know the nearneſs of the Phraſes in the Text one to another conſtrained it, except I ſhould have broke the bounds, and dealt partially with the Text; and my thoughts are, that Plenty may even conduce to Profit: And as for thoſe Phraſes, Titles, and Denominations of Perſons, which in this Diſcourſe may ſeem unto any tender ear to be plain, harſh, or reproachful to any, know this, I have warily conſidered to faſten them only on perſons really deſerving ſuch names; and although I have herein followed the footſteps of the Saints & Penmen of the Scripture, yet have I abated, rather than exceeded their practice; as is moſt evident, if you conſider of ſome expreſſions wherein how great or learned or ſeemingly pious ſoever ſome ſinners were, yet both Chriſt himſelf, and the Prophets and Apoſtles, have ſpoken very home and hard againſt ſuch Perſons, ſtiling them Hypocrites, Devils Children, Wolves, Dogs, Lyons, Foxes, Vipers, painted-Sepulchres, whited Walls, Princes of Sodom, Rulers of Gomorrah, Adulterers, Adultereſſes, and ſuch like, as the Scripture witneſſeth; wherefore marvel not at my freedom of expreſſion to ſinners of the ſame dye. And laſtly, My reſolution was to avoid the reproof due to ſuch as give flattering Titles unto men; and as Elihu ſaith, Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's perſon; neither let me give flattering titles unto men; for I know not to give flattering titles; forin ſo doing my Maker would ſoon take me away, Job 32.21, 22. And further, If any ſuppoſe I have in this Diſcourſe affected and diſcovered a Spirit of ſingularity, and diverſity of Opinion from the moſt of even pious, judicious, and ſober men of this Age. I Anſwer in uprightneſs, 'twas not affectedly but conſtrainedly done, and I ſuppoſe even ſuch Objectors will not deny, 'tis better differing from men, how wiſe ſoever, than from Chriſt; and ſince all men know but in part, and Propheſie but in part, that may be Chriſt's Truth which is not acknowledged or underſtood by many; is it not written, Thou ſhalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither ſhalt thou ſpeak in a cauſe, to decline after many, to wreſt judgment, Exod. 23.2. and as Paul ſaith, I believed, therefore have I ſpoken, 2 Cor. 4.13. I ſhall willingly receive better information, and then ſpeedily change my preſent apprehenſion. Laſtly, If any Object againſt the largeneſs of this Tract; my Anſwer is, 'Twas my deſire to have prevented it, could I with fidelity and prudence have effected it; and the truth is, I have denyed my ſelf, and ſlipt over ſome Particulars, which might more largel have been inſiſted on, that this Exception might have been ſpared: And now my dearly Beloved, whoſe importunity begat me this labour, Let me now crave leave, before I conclude this Epiſtle, to requeſt a few things of you. Firſt, My Brethren, if you meet with any Advantage, Content, or Comfort, by peruſing theſe Lines, pray give all the praiſe and glory to God, whoſe hand alone hath wrought it, and whoſe Spirit hath revealed it; and think often upon 1 Chron. 29.10, to 16. Secondly, Pray be not only knowers of theſe Truths, but doers of the ſame. Oh, be not only ſo principled, but ſo practiſing; alſo let the height of Holineſs in this Diſcourſe diſcovered, be your main buſineſs to attain, ſo ſhall I not want a good reward for this my labour. Thirdly, Labour to train up and educate your Families in this good knowledge of the Lord, and ſhew them the good old way, wherein they ſhould walk with God, as Moſes adviſeth, Deut. 4.9.10. ſaying, Only take heed to thy ſelf, and keep thy Soul diligently, leſt thou forget the things which thine eyes have ſeen, and leſt they depart from thy heart all the dayes of thy life; but teach them thy Sons, and thy Sons Sons: Eſpecially the day that thou ſtoodeſt before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord ſaid unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the dayes that they ſhall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their Children, with 11, 19. Fourthly, Wonder not, neither be ſtumbled, if you find theſe Truths evil ſpoken of, ſcorned, traduced; but remember, this was to be expected in ſuch a day as this. And, laſtly, Forget not him that you have prevailed upon, but in all your ſupplications remember me, and pray for me, both night and day, that I may be faithful to the Death, that I may be filled with the Spirit, that I may be abundant in the Work of the Lord, and that my Labours may be acceptable and ſuccesful among the Saints, that ſo I may finiſh my courſe with joy, and not with grief, according to the Will of God. And thus with my Prayers for you alſo, I commend you to God, and to the Word of his Grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an Inheritance among all them which are Sanctified.
Your Servant for Chriſt, STEPHEN MORE.