could not preserve knowledge unless it were received from his mouth by hearing It was commonly practised in the Synagogues after the reading of the Law in the time of the Apostles to exhort the people When St. Paul and his company went into the Synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia they were desired to give the people a word of exhortation Acts 13.15 How then comes it to pass that by hearing and preaching the Christian Religion is distinguished from the Jews which are common to both And why is the Law call'd the ministration of the Letter by way of distinction seeing the Gospel is written as well as the Law 'T is plain that these things are spoken not simply and universally of either but in relation to their beginning and first publishing to the world Because the Law was then given by writing though afterwards preached it is called the ministration of the Letter So the Gospel though afterwards written yet because it was then only preached by revelation of the Holy Ghost it is call'd the ministration of the Spirit That likewise which St. Paul speaks of the hearing of Faith and of saving men by the foolishness of preaching hath a peculiar relation to Christianity in the manner of founding it at first For certainly Preaching in it self was not in the eye of humane wisdom a foolish way to perswade but such as the wisest of them all used when they would perswade the people any thing they did it by orations and speeches which are of the same kind with preaching But if we look at that preaching by which the Christian Religion was at first introduced it had in the eye of humane wisdom something of folly in it For to introduce a Law or Religion to any people these two things among others are necessary That they give it in Writing that they might more certainly know what they had to do and that it be by such as have authority and power And this way God himself took in giving the Jews a Law for first he wrote it with his own fingers and then published it by the Ministry of Moses who was their leader and governour But for the introduction of the Gospel it pleased God to take a far different course that is to commit all to the preaching of a few poor despicable Fisher-men who were only private men of no authority and of whose Gospel they had no knowledge but from what was to be taken from their mouths And that when first preached was by some esteemed no better than a distemper yea plain drunkenness yet thus it pleased God to put the words of eternal life into these earthen vessels and by that means to make his own power known and by that folly to confound the wisdom of the world But for our preaching though it may have many times too good a title to foolishness in preaching yet not to the foolishness of preaching for those obstacles remov'd it is the ordinary way by which all knowledge humane as well as divine is communicated My meaning is that hearing now is to be looked upon as the common natural instrument to receive instruction and therefore no benefit to be reckon'd on from it but what is common to all other learning and knowledge that is by serious studying and diligently pondering the things we hear for if we trust to any secret sacramental mystical vertue in hearing that profit we should get by the Word we may lose by the Hearing Therefore take heed how you hear for this is a second way of putting Gods word under a Bushel There is another way which in part at least puts under the Bushel too when we confine it to the Sermon whereas that is of little use if Gods word be not in it they say The word is of as little if it be not in a Sermon which is a derogation to the goodness and bounty of Almighty God who hath dispensed his Divine Truth so many ways besides as First by Reading for though when Gods Word was preached only it could be only heard yet when it was a Scripture it might be known as all other Writings by reading also for this reason St. Paul sets Timothy to his Book 1 Tim. 4.13 Till I come give attendance to reading Search the Scriptures for therein you think you have eternal life and search we cannot unless we read them that by reading we may find the way to eternal life yea though all were to be done by preaching Reading is that too For Moses had in old time them that preached him being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath-day Acts 15.21 Secondly By writing Gods Word works Faith in us if S. John was not mistaken when he said 1 Joh. 5.13 These things have I written unto you that ye may know ye have eternal life and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God Good writers are in their kind good Preachers Why then should any be scandalized at the Preacher that looks upon his Book where his Sermon is written Indeed if men now were to speak as the Apostles did as the Spirit gave them utterance it were a great mistake to look for him in a Book But if we as all must take Gods Word out of the Scripture and every Preacher if he be not too bold with God and his Auditors that he may speak from thence what is both true and seasonable prepares by writing that which he is to preach the Sermon is the same in the Pulpit that it was in the study and though the Preacher that looks in his Book be the worse the Sermon I am sure is not Thirdly We may receive the fruit of God's Word in the virtuous life and example of others for this St. Paul calls the holding forth the VVord of Life Phil. 2.16 That ye may be blameless the Sons of God without rebuke holding forth the VVord of Life i. e. it is visible and legible in all our actions and demeanour Thus a Man may be a Preacher of God's Word though he be not in Orders Yea Women that are forbidden to speak in the Church may thus convert their Husbands at home Likewise ye VVives be in subjection to your Husbands that if any obey not the Word that is 1 Pet. 3 1. when it is preached they also may without the Word be won by the conversation of the Wife So powerful and effectual is God's Word that it works by example though in the weakest Vessels There be divers ways of preaching in the more proper sense besides the Sermon for preaching is either publick or private as we learn from St. Paul Acts 20.20 where he gives account to the Elders of Ephesus of himself That he had taught them publickly and from house to house Sure he did not make a formal Sermon in every house he came into but as occasion and opportunity was given by Conference he made known to them the Will of God Again Publick preaching is not all of a kind
of Adoniah as Joab that commanded in chief and Abiathar the High Priest made no question of putting Adoniah and Joab to death but for Abiathar though he deprived him of his office yet he spared his life And why he gives no other reason but this Because he bore the Ark before his Father David But was that a work of such merit and difficulty Could not any Porter do as much it was but carrying of a Chest Solomon did not take his measure by that That Sacred Chest the Ark was a Symbol of Gods presence it had relation to his Service and that he preferred before his own for Adoniah was his Brother of the half-blood and Joab his cosin-german You that are the Kings servants here in Court do not weigh the merit and honor of your places which you justly have by the pains and difficulty of your service which we know in many is little enough but by the greatness of the Master for whom you do it Children may be able to read the Book but not therefore sit to offer the Sacrifice They are troubled with the rude confused noise that is made by the people in answering to the Confessions and Psalms It seems their ears are as tender as their consciences and both alike out of tune For this is a Publick Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text i. e. a Confessing together Now there can be no communication of men together but by speech and therefore of necessity it must be the Fruit of our Lips But while we in obedience to that pray God to open our Lips they teach the people to shut them They take it very ill that they are silenced though they deserve it and yet stick not to silence the whole Congregation without any offence or fault of theirs They say it is an improper and impertinent Service We use such Hymns and Psalms for our Praises and Thanksgivings as are not proper and appliable to us For how can any one that is a Man say in the Magnificat Thou hast regarded the lowliness of thy handmaid Or how can it be seasonable for all especially young men to say in the Nunc dimittas Lord now let thy servant depart in peace For answer to this and the rest of that kind It is but turning to the Doctrine of the Text as we have done in all the rest The Liturgie is the Churches Publick Sacrifice of Praise and in that we are not only to give thanks for blessings immediately conferred upon our persons but upon us with the whole Church by the intervention of others For in the Blessed Virgin we do all partake of the grace done to her being taken to be the Mother of our Lord. And in old Simeon we rejoyce at the sight of that salvation which was a Light to us Gentiles as well as a glory to the people of Israel They are offended with the length of the Service which makes it not only tedious in it self but injurious also by hindring the Sermon To measure the length first If we lay our line to it you will not find it so It takes up but a very short part of the whole time which God has bestowed upon us of which enough we have and too much we take many times for our rest and sleep enough for our own necessary business and a good portion besides for our pleasures and lawful delights Can we think an hour or two spared out of all this too long for Gods service or a Lamb too much for him who has bestowed the whole flock upon us The tediousness which is caused by the length of the Service is cured by the end It must needs be a less trouble to us if we consider it to be an honor for God To say no more How can we think those Prayers too long in which we our selves sue for eternity Nevertheless if the length of the Liturgie should as they say prove a hinderance to Preaching I had so much the less to say for it But how that should be I understand not The Wise man assures us there is a time for all things and sure then there is a time for two things Prayer and Preaching both But possibly we may be so surprised that there is not time for both The Case of Conscience here will be which of them may best be spared The Prayers are to God the Sermons to us the Prayers for Gods honor the Sermons for our profit In this case I think I may safely leave every man to be his own Casuist and go on to the next It is defective and so a lame Sacrifice How inconsistent are their complaints and how hard are they to be pleased It is both too long and too short They mean it is too long in the whole and too short in the parts In the Confession of sins in the Thanksgivings in the Collects many material things omitted The Scriptures read in broken pieces and not in order These would not be counted defects if we consider their end and use in the Liturgie which is to be a Sacrifice of praise to God for that is sufficiently attained by them as they are there used It is true if we respect these duties in reference to their immediate proper effects the common Forms are insufficient for no man may presume of Remission of sins unless he confess to God the particulars wherein he hath offended Nor can be truly thankful to him for the blessings whereof he makes no particular acknowledgment Nor can attain to a full and clear knowledge of the Scriptures that reads not all and in order All this is easily granted But they are utterly mistaken in the use of a Liturgie that would have it to be a commonstore to furnish out every duty and vertue any further than to serve for the publick honoring and praising of God For if particulars should be named wherein all are not concerned how can they truly and heartily say Amen And likewise when some portions only of Scripture are read it is to suit the present occasion and solemnity And for particular Confessions and Thanksgivings if men were so well-affected and so well-acquainted with their own Souls as they should be when general words are used they may if they please reflect upon their own particulars and so render the Publick Service an advantage also to their private interest and profit I will add but one exception more They say it is a blind Sacrifice and edifies not To edifie is to contribute to the building of us up in faith or godliness and then not edifying the meaning must be that it is good for nothing And truly if it be so it is but reason we should part with it But possibly when they say It doth not edifie it may have some other meaning in it They may say it edifies not because they like it not or are not pleased and satisfied with the use of it or which is nearer the true meaning of the word there is nothing
to Life Everlasting but he that believes by a special mercy to him in particular his sins are forgiven or which is all one that he is elected for without that there is no remission The Faith of the Gospel they think is too general without life and common to the Devils who believe and tremble they are Believers and Quakers too and yet are Devils I cannot say how much of the Gospel they believe but by their trembling and their own confession to our Saviour Art thou come to torment us before our time that they believed the Article of the last Judgment that they shall be one day tormented for their sins By the way the Devils may shame them that have not learned so far in their Creed But notwithstanding this we must not be so kind to the Devils as to think they have the Faith of the Gospel because that works by love Circumcision availeth not any thing nor uncircumcision but faith that worketh by love Gal. 5.6 I think no man hath so much charity for the Devils as to think they have any There is no reason therefore why the Faith of the Gospel should suffer for their sakes The word of Faith saith St. Paul Rom. 10.8 is that which we preach and that was the Gospel Our particular election may be written in the Book of Life in Heaven but it is no where to be found written in the Book of the Gospel True Faith is that which we preach saith the Apostle but this Faith of Election no man can preach for who can say and say truly of his own knowledge that I or you or any man by name is elected Now if this Faith cannot come by hearing what will become of our Sermons indeed of any thing that can be called Religion or Sowing to the Spirit for that leads us a way to Heaven through believing some mysteries we understand not through many a heavy and hard law of mortification and denying our selves whereas this Faith cuts off all that and may well go for sowing to the flesh For first in favour to this it shrinks up all the duties of the Gospel into Faith and then all Faith into one Article and that not in the Creed neither and something they pare from that too it works not as an act which we may call ours for that will prejudice Gods free Grace but as a relation to Christ and in the Logick Schools it is disputed whether Relations have any real being or no. And thus all hangs upon a Pins point and leaves not a Corn to be sown to the Spirit We may therefore conclude that this and the other Pretenders are all deceived mistake the Field of the Spirit which is the Gospel and sowe quite beside it It will be now time to enter into the Field it self and see what work the Spirit there sets us to It is a large Field and reaches as far as the Gospel indeed too large to be passed through at one time But this as a great Country may be seen in a little Chart. 1. One of the works and a chief design of the Spirit in the Gospel is a godly righteous and vertuous life 2. And a second is like to it A right Faith in the Mystery of Christ and Salvation 3. A third is a devout and reverent worship of God in Prayers Praises and Confessions 4. A fourth is a careful use of the auxiliaries of Grace Sacraments Fastings and other acts of Humiliation 5. Fifthly Then we have the adorning all these with comely and decent Ceremonies This last though far from the Heart of Religion is yet within the Body of it as well as the rest One thing more I have not yet named which seems at a farther distance from the great duties of the Gospel and yet hath the advantage above the rest that it is here expresly called sowing to the Spirit and what that is we shall learn from the Verse precedent where 6. The Apostle exhorts him that is taught in the Word to communicate to him that teacheth in all good things If there be any coherence in the discourse any reason in the rational Particle for For he that soweth unto the Spirit The communicating our Goods for the Gospel is true sowing to the Spirit This duty therefore together with those already named are all Sowing to the Spirit and have a joint tendency to life everlasting For the meaning is not that any of them apart make a full Title to it but according to their quality and degree carry us their part in the way towards it It is therefore but a piece of fraud and Sophistry to discountenance one duty by setting up a greater against it as the manner is that the main purpose of the Gospel looks another way And so run down one duty with another the less with the greater as Great Persons do their Inferiors This is not onely a Deceit but plain mocking of God who commands both and a setting him against himself I note this Fallacy in common that it be not made use of here on our particular to mislead us from the due regard ought to be given to the maintenance of those that minister in the Gospel though it be not the accomplishment of the great duties yet hath a remote influence upon all Set it in as low a place in Gods House as you please but for the Spirits sake let it not be turned out of dores I single out this duty from the rest that may deserve our care more and need it less It hath fewer friends to speak for it I confess but the true reason why I do it is because it was the particular occasion of the Apostles delivering this doctrine and in this I shall keep both a better measure with the Time and with the Apostles intention and it is a point too wherein we are as much deceived as in any Our worldly Goods by nature and kind are Carnal yet being sown to the Spirit become spiritual they are infranchised and incorporate into the Family and Retinue of the Spirit they alter their property not by imprinting any real indelible character into them as envy and ill-will objects but giving onely the respect that persons of low birth have when they are adopted or affianced into a more noble Stock When the Flesh serves the Spirit it is advanced above her condition the Volatile nature of the Flesh is fixed by the Spirit and helps to make up the title to everlasting life This is warrant enough for me to make a Suit and reward enough for those that grant it That for Gods sake and the Spirits when the Church Revenue comes into your thoughts to cast an eye if not of duty of compassion upon such miserable places where there is but too much necessity for it I can speak of my own knowledge that there are many hundreds of Parishes in this Kingdom where there is not so much yearly maintenance for serving the Cure as one of your Foot-men stand