Preaching.
NOthing is more mistaken than that Speech [Preach the Gospel] for ’tis not to make long Harangues, as they do now a days, but to tell the News of Christ’s coming into the World; and when that is done, or where ’tis known already, the Preacher’s Work is done.
Preaching in the first sense of the word ceas’d as soon as ever the Gospel was written.
When the Preacher says, this is the Meaning of the Holy Ghost in such a place, in sense he can mean no more than this; that is, I by studying of the place, by comparing one place with a∣nother; by weighing what goes before, and what comes after, think this is the Meaning of the Holy Ghost; and for shortness of Expression I say, the Holy Ghost says thus, or this is the Meaning of the Spirit of God. So the Judge speaks of the King’s Proclamation, this is the Intention of the King; not that the King had declared his Intention any other way to the Judge, but the Judge examin∣ing the Contents of the Proclamation, ga∣thers by the purport of the Words the King’s Intention; and then for shortness of expression says, this is the King’s In∣tention.
Nothing is Text but what was spo∣ken in the Bible, and meant there for Per∣son and Place, the rest is Application, which a discreet Man may do well; but ’tis his Scripture, not the Holy Ghost.
Preaching by the Spirit (as they call it) is most esteemed by the Common-peo∣ple, because they cannot abide Art or Learning, which they have not been bred up in. Just as in the Business of Fen∣cing; if one Country Fellow amongst the rest, has been at the School, the rest will under-value his Skill, or tell him he wants Valour: You come with your School-Tricks: There’s Dick Butcher has ten times more Mettle in him: So they say to the Preach∣ers, You come with your School-Learning: There’s such a one has the Spirit.
The Tone in preaching does much in working upon the peoples Affections. If a Man should make Love in an ordina∣ry Tone, his Mistress would not regard him; and therefore he must whine. If a Man should cry Fire, or Murther in an ordinary Voice, no body would come out to help him.
Preachers will bring any thing into the Text. The young Masters of Arts preached against Non-Residency in the University; whereupon the Heads made an Order, that no Man should med∣dle with any thing but what was in the Text. The next Day one preach’d up∣on these Words, Abraham begot Isaac: when he had gone a good way, at last he observ’d, that Abraham was Resident; for if he had been Non-Resident, he could never have begot Isaac; and so fell foul upon the Non-Residents.
I could never tell what often preach∣ing meant after a Church is settled, and we know what is to be done; ’tis just as if a Husband-man should once tell his Servants what they are to do, when to sow, when to reap, and afterwards one should come and tell them twice or thrice a Day what they know already. You must sow your Wheat in October, you must reap your Wheat in August, &c.
The main Argument why they would have two Sermons a Day, is, because they have two Meals a Day; the Soul must be fed as well as the Body. But I may as well argue, I ought to have two No∣ses, because I have two Eyes, or two Mouths because I have two Ears. What have Meals and Sermons to do one with another?
The Things between God and Man are but a few, and those, forsooth, we must be told often of; but things be∣tween Man and Man are many; those I hear of not above twice a Year, at the Assizes, or once a Quarter at the Sessi∣ones; but few come then: nor does the Minister exhort the People to go at these times to learn their Duty towards their Neighbours. Often preaching is sure to keep the Minister in Countenance, that he may have something to do.
In preaching they say more to raise Men to love Vertue than Men can possibly perform, to make them do their best; as if you would teach a Man to throw the Bar; to make him put out his Strength, you bid him throw further than it is possible for him, or any Man else: Throw over yonder House.
In preaching they do by Men as Writers of Romances do by their chief Knights, bring them into many Dangers, but still fetch them off: So they put Men in fear of Hell, but at last bring them to Heaven.
Preachers say, do as I say, not as I do. But if a Physician had the same Disease upon him that I have, and he should bid me do one thing, and he do quite another, could I believe him?
Preaching the same Sermon to all sorts of People, is, as if a School-Master should read the same Lesson to his several Forms: If he reads Amo, amas, amavi, the highest Forms Laugh at him; the younger Boys admire him: So ’tis in preaching to a mix’d Auditory. Obj. But it cannot be otherwise; the Parish can∣not be divided into several Forms: What must the Preacher then do in Dis∣cretion? Answ. Why then let him use some expressions by which this or that condition of people may know such Do∣ctrine does more especially concern them, it being so delivered that the wisest may be contented to hear. For if he deli∣vers it altogether, and leaves it to them to single out what belongs to themselves (which is the usual way) ’tis as if a Man would bestow Gifts upon Children of several Ages: Two Years old, Four Years old, Ten Years old, &c. and there he brings Tops, Pins, Points, Ribbands, and casts them all in a Heap together upon a Table before them; though the Boy of Ten Years old knows how to chuse his Top, yet the Child of Two Years old, that should have a Ribband, takes a Pin, and the Pin e’er he be aware pricks his Fingers, and then all’s out of Order, &c. Preaching for the most part is the glory of the Preacher, to shew himself a fine Man. Catechising would do much bet∣ter.
Use the best Arguments to per∣swade, though but few understand; for the Ignorant will sooner believe the ju∣dicious of the Parish, than the Preacher himself; and they teach when they dis∣sipate what he has said, and believe it the sooner confirm’d by Men of their own side. For betwixt the Laity and the Clergy there is, as it were, a continual driving of a bargain; something the Clergy would still have us be at, and therefore many things are heard from the Preacher with suspicion. They are af∣fraid of some ends, which are easily as∣sented to, when they have it from some of themselves. ’Tis with a Sermon as ’tis with a Play; many come to see it, which do not understand it; and yet hearing it cry’d up by one, whose judg∣ment they cast themselves upon, and of power with them, they swear and will die in it, that ’tis a very good Play, which they would not have done if the Priest himself had told them so. As in a great School, ’tis the Master that teaches all; the Monitor does a great deal of work, it may be the Boys are affraid to see the Master: so in a Parish ’tis not the Minister does all; the greater Neighbour teaches the lesser, the Master of the House teach∣es his Servant, &c.
First in your Sermons use your Logick, and then your Rhetorick. Rhe∣torick without Logick is like a Tree with Leaves and Blosoms, but no Root; yet I confess more are taken with Rhe∣torick than Logick, because they are catch∣ed with a free Expression, when they un∣derstand not Reason. Logick must be natural, or it is worth nothing at all: Your Rhetorick Figures may be learn’d: That Rhetorick is best which is most sea∣sonable and most catching. An instance we have in that old blunt Commander at Cadis, who shew’d himself a good O∣ratour, being to say something to his Soldiers (which he was not us’d to do;) he made them a Speech to this purpose; What a shame will it be, you English-men, that feed upon good Beef and Brewess, to let those Rascally Spaniards beat you that eat nothing but Oranges and Limons. And so put more Courage into his Men than he could have done with a more learned Oration. Rhetorick is very good, or stark naught: There’s no Medium in Rhe∣torick. If I am not fully perswaded I laugh at the Oratour.
’Tis good to preach the same thing again, for that’s the way to have it learn’d. You see a Bird by often whist∣ling to learn a Tune, and a Month af∣ter record it to her self.
’Tis a hard Case a Minister should be turned out of his Living for some∣thing they inform he should say in his Pulpit. We can no more know what a Minister said in his Sermon by two or three words pickt out of it, than we can tell what Tune a Musician play’d last upon the Lute, by two or three sin∣gle Notes.