darknefle were it not for the light of the word, they should be full of light and fo fhould enlighten others: Minifters they fhould be filled with the will of God, as 'tis faid of Epaphras, in the 4. Colof: he prayed for the people that they might be filled in all the will of God, v. 12. O it's an excellent thing for a Minifter to be filled with the will of God, as a faile is filled with the wind! Those who are most inftructed by Chrift, they are fittest to inftruct people: Chrift he falls a preaching to them, that they may preach to the People: Thofe cannot preach to the hearts of people that have not had Jefus Chrift Preaching to their hearts before. And befides, Chrift faw that the work was very difficult: the work of the Miniftry is a hard work, therefore Chrift fpends a great deale of time, as in praying for them before, fo after he had chofen them in inftructing of them,they were to be fet as a light upon an chill; and the eyes and obfervations of men would be upon them to watch them in all their wayes, They muft beare the brunt of all,and if there be any hazardable work they must approach. This work of God is very difficult. It's a Speech of Luther, what is it to preach? But for a man to drive the envy of people that are evill upon himfelfe: And therefore it was that Chrift made fuch a preparation of his Apoftles before they were to goe abroad: And that's the 4. Confideration about the Preface to Chrifts Sermon; his Auditors, whom he had. And then the 5. Confideration by way of Preface is, The manner of Chrifts Preaching, And there are 3 Things obfervable (I would gladly take up all things in Scripture, for the Scripture is not like a Carpenters Yard, that a great deale of chips lyes about and are of no ufe, but it's like a Golds-Smith Shop that every duft is precious, fo when we have to deale in Scripture, we fhould not neglect the leaft Particle, for we fhall fnd it of much use. There are 3 Things that are recorded about the manner of Chrifts Preaching. 0.07 First, That Chrift did fit and preach. Secondly, That he opened his mouth and fpake. But we have 2 of thefe in Matth: That he fat and opened his mouth and Spake; For the fitting, Chrift when he preached, he far down, he did not ftand as Preachers do now: And we find it was the ordinary way of preaching among the Jewes, for the Preacher to fit down: In the 23. Matth: 2. The Scribes and Pharifees fit in Mofes Chair, heare them, and do what they fay, faith Chrift, though do not what they doe, and fo you all. find it in the 24. Matth: 3.2 & Chap. 26. 95. youthall fee in both thefe places that Chrift when he came to Preach fat dawa: he ftood up when he read the Law, but when he Preached, he far donine, and fo in the 4. Luke 20. Inall thefeScriptures you may fee it was the manner in Preaching to fir downe: Nowome would make a fignificancy in ; but 1 take it, it was only a civil geafture, that Chrift obferving what the way was at that time, he would conform himfelte to the order and way of fitting, not that it had any fpiritual fignifica tion: As now, the French Minifters, they Preach with their Hats on, I'ts the caftome there, and no Queftion, if any one were to go among them it were fit they Thould obferve the cuftomes that they have: and fo here, to fit downe, and in other Churches to ftand: Redo. You will fay,Doth not this juftifie the conforming to Ceremonies in Churches: Chrift you fee conformed to this Ceremony offitting: and why had we fuch a fair about kneeling ar Sacrament? And Now to Answer, that clearly thus, youmpft know the difference of Ceremonies, whatsoever Ceremony is but meerly natural or civil, and is but helpful to the worship of God in a natural and civil vay, certainely we should conforme to the cuftomes of Churches wherefoever we come. But now when a Ceremony comes to have a fpiritual use, and to have by the inftitution of man fone fpiritual thing put upon it,as our Cere monies had,then though they be but Ceremonies we must not, except we would fin against Jefus Chrift and our confciences, we muft not conforme to them; for then they come to have fome worship in them, when they come to have fpirituall fignifications, and there is that put upon them by way of inftitution; But if there be no more in a Ceremony, then what the nature of the thing carryes with it to be helpful in Gods worfhip; There's no Queftion but the prudence of men is enough for the ordering of that in it:As it's a natural helpe for people when they come to hear the word, to have convenient feats. It's a natural helpe fo when it's but used in a natural way, but now kneeling at Sacrament, and fuch Ceremonies, they had a fpiritual efficacie put into them, and an inftitution from them. And fo for garments, for a Minifter to have a convenient garment it's a naturall thing, but now, if they will make an inftitution, that a garment must be therefore decent because it's appointed and not elfe, for what decenfe is there in the nature of the thing, but all is in the inftitution that is put upon it by man: Therefore obferve here, whatfoever Ceremony is but natural and helpful in a natural way, their there fhould be no contention, we have no fuch cuftome, nor the Churches of God to contend about thefe, but if they come to have a Religious ufe put upon them, for fo it's laid in the Common-Prayer-Booke; Toftirup the dull minds of men, now they come to be finfull, and therefore Chrift he obferved the Ceremony of the fewes as a naturall helpe. And 2dly, Chrift opened his mouth and fpake: Opened his mouth you will fay, why is this mentioned ? How could he fpeake elfe to them? I answer, First, There is a fpeaking though there is not an opening of ones mouth; In the 11. Heb: 4. There the holy Ghoft fpeaks of a speaking without opening of the mouth: By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent Sacrifice then Cain, by which he obtained witneffe that he was righteous, God teftifying of his gifts: And by it be, being dead yet fpeaketh ; So there is a reall speaking as well as a verball one, and fo fo fome think that this was a fimilitude, whereas Chrift did preach in his life, as a Minifter of God fhould preach in his holy life continually before them, fo Chrift preached. But Secondly, By opening the mouth according to the Jewith expreffion is to fignifie, not only that he did fpeake, but that he had fome weighty matter to fpeak, as in 32 fob 20` There Ethue when he faith, that he is full of matter, and hath excellent things to fay, he faith, He will open his mouth to fpeak: and fo our English phrafe will beare it; when we fee an object withly, we will fay, I faw it with mine eyes: that is, I did mind it, and regard it; and fo if a man will expreffe a ferious intentefle to heare, he will fay, I heard it with mine eares, that is, he did diligently heare it, and mark it; And fo he opened his mouth and fpake: he did not onely fpeake, but he had fome great and weighty matter to deliver. Thirdly, This was to thew that the mouth of Chrift was as a doore of a rich Treafury: Jefus Chrift had in his heart a rich Treasury, and his mouth was the doore of that rich Treafury, and now Chrift opens the doore and fetches out thefe precious things that you shall heare in this Sermon And thus then, opening the mouth, and fetting these things before us, you fee is of great ufe unto us: There are fome that have fo much evill in their hearts, that it doth burst out of the doore of their mouthes; and they fpeake without any confideration; as a man that hath an uncleane heart, it breaks forth in his mouth: As a veffell that is full of filthy liquor, it will breake forth when it hath no vent; And fo that's the reafon men fpeak fo wickedly, in baudry, or fwearing, their hearts are full of wickednetfe, and it breaks the doore open: And fo the heart of Jefus Chrift was full of heavenly and fpirituall things, and Chrift he opens the door of his mouth and fpeakes: it fhould be fo with us; It fhould be fo with the Minifters of Godefpecially, they fhould have their hearts full of heavenly Treafury, and when they come to preach, it is but to open the doore of this Treafury their mouths (hould be but as the doore to vent thofe treasuries of heavenly truths, that they have been trading for in Heaven: And fo all people, D. they they should have their hearts as a Treasure of excellent things and fo have command of their mouthes, that when they fee an occafion of doing good where they come, they fhould open the doore of this treasury to vent what good things they have got in this treasury: O that all our mouthes were fo: This is the meaning of this expreffion, Chrift opened his mouth: it was a mercy my Brethren that Chrift had his mouth open to fpeake to this people; had the Scribes and Pharifees had their wills upon Chrift, his mouth had been thut long before this time,for they envyed him, but through Gods mercy the mouth of Chrift was open to fpeake to the people the great things of God: And it's a mercy that Minifters mouths are open: That they may open their mouths to fpeake to people, and thew them what the mind of God is, we had not fuch a mercy, dong fince: Though there were many Minifters that had their hearts full of rich truths, yet the doore was lockt and bolted against them, they could not open the doore, fo as the people could not have them; and I beleeve there was never any reformed church that contracted fo much guilt. (in all the world) in ftopping the mouths of faithfull Minifters,as England hath done in former time: But bleffed be God, that God hath ftopt the mouths of the stoppers of mouths: I remember in Chry foftoms time, I find that the godly people then did profeffe that they had rather have the Sun withdraw her beams then the mouth of Chryfoftome should be stopt; there was fo much excellency in Chryfoftoms preaching fay they, thall the doorof the treasury of John Chryfoftomes heart be fhut, fhall that be bolted, and fhall we have no benefit by it, it were better we had no benefit by the Sun it felfe; O account it a great mercy that the mouths of faithfull Ministers may be opened to speake unto you. And that's the fecond confideration in the manner of his preaching. He opened his mouth; And then the Third is, He fer his eyes, upon thofe he spake unto: So the Holy Ghoft doth note in the 6 Luk, 20. He lifted up his eyes upon his Difciples: Certainly my Beloved, the eyes of Chrift did fparkle with very much wifdone, and there was much of the glory of God fparkling in the very eyes of Jefus Chrift, |