One thing that has been complained of is, ministers addressing
themselves rather to the affections of their hearers than to their understandings,
and striving to raise their passions to the utmost height, rather by a
very affectionate manner of speaking, and a great appearance of earnestness
in voice and gesture, than by clear reasoning, and informing their judgment:
by which means it is objected that the affections are moved, without a
proportionable enlightening of the understanding.
To which I would say, I am far from thinking that it is not very profitable
for ministers, in their preaching, to endeavour clearly and distinctly
to explain the doctrines of religion, and unravel the difficulties that
attend them, and to confirm them with strength of reason and argumentation,
and also to observe some easy and clear method in their discourses, for
the help of the understanding and memory; and it is very probable that
these things have been of late too much neglected by many ministers. Yet
I believe that the objection made, of affections raised without enlightening
the understanding, is in a great measure built on a mistake, and confused
notions that some have about the nature and cause of the affections, and
the manner in which they depend on the understanding. All affections are
raised either by light in the understanding, or by some error and delusion
in the understanding: for all affections do certainly arise from some
apprehension in the understanding; and that apprehension must either be
agreeable to truth, or else be some mistake or delusion; if it be an apprehension
or notion that is agreeable to truth, then it is light in the understanding.
Therefore the thing to be inquired into is, whether the apprehensions
or notions of divine and eternal things, that are raised in people's minds
by these affectionate preachers, whence their affections are excited,
be apprehensions agreeable to truth, or whether they are mistakes. If
the former, then the affections are raised the way they should be, viz.
by informing the mind, or conveying light to the understanding. They go
away with a wrong notion, who think that those preachers cannot affect
their hearers by enlightening their understandings, except by such a distinct
and learned handling of the doctrinal points of religion, as depends on
human discipline, or the strength of natural reason, and tends to enlarge
their hearers' learning, and speculative knowledge in divinity. The manner
of preaching without this, may be such as shall tend very much to set
divine and eternal things in a right view, and to give the hearers such
ideas and apprehensions of them as are agreeable to truth, and such impressions
on their hearts as are answerable to the real nature of things. And beside
the words that are spoken, the manner of speaking has a great tendency
to this. I think an exceeding affectionate way of preaching about the
great things of religion, has in itself no tendency to beget false apprehensions
of them; but on the contrary, a much greater tendency to beget true apprehensions
of them, than a moderate, dull, indifferent way of speaking of them. An
appearance of affection and earnestness in the manner of delivery, though
very great indeed, if it be agreeable to the nature of the subject--and
be not beyond a proportion to its importance, and worthiness of affection,
and if there be no appearance of its being feigned or forced--has so much
the greater tendency to beget true ideas or apprehensions in the minds
of the hearers concerning the subject spoken of, and so to enlighten the
understanding: and that for this reason, That such a way or manner of
speaking of these things does, in fact, more truly represent them, than
a more cold and indifferent way of speaking of them. If the subject be
in its own nature worthy of very great affection, then speaking of it
with very great affection is most agreeable to the nature of that subject,
or is the truest representation of it, and therefore has most of a tendency
to beget true ideas o fit in the minds of those to whom the representation
is made. And I do not think ministers are to be blamed for raising the
affections of their hearers too high, if that which they are affected
with be only that which is worthy of affection, and their affections are
not raised beyond a proportion to their importance, or worthiness of affection.
I should think myself in the way of my duty, to raise the affections of
my hearers as high as possibly I can, provided that they are affected
with nothing but truth, and with affections that are not disagreeable
to the nature of the subject. I know it has long been fashionable to despise
a very earnest and pathetical way of preaching; and they only have been
valued as preachers, who have shown the greatest extent of learning, strength
of reason, and correctness of method and language. But I humbly conceive
it has been for want of understanding or duly considering human nature,
that such preaching has been thought to have the greatest tendency to
answer the ends of preaching; and the experience of the present and past
ages abundantly confirms the same. Though, as I said before, clearness
of distinction and illustration, and strength of reason, and a good method,
in the doctrinal handling of the truths of religion, is many ways needful
and profitable, and not to be neglected; yet an increase in speculative
knowledge in divinity is not what is so much needed by our people as something
else. Men may abound in this sort of light, and have no heat. How much
has there been of this sort of knowledge, in the Christian world, in this
age! Was there ever an age, wherein strength and penetration of reason,
extent of learning, exactness of distinction, correctness of style, and
clearness of expression, did so abound? And yet, was there ever an age,
wherein there has been so little sense of the evil of sin, so little love
to God, heavenly-mindedness, and holiness of life, among the professors
of the true religion? Our people do not so much need to have their heads
stored, as to have their hearts touched; and they stand in the greatest
need of that sort of preaching, which has the greatest tendency to do
this. Those texts, Isa. lviii. 1. "Cry aloud, spare not, lift
up they voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob their sins." And, Ezek. vi. 11. "Thus
saith the Lord God, Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and
say, Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel!"
I say, these texts (however the use that some have made of them has been
laughed at) will fully justify a great degree of pathos, and manifestation
of zeal and fervency in preaching the word of God. They may indeed be
abused, so as to countenance that which would be odd and unnatural amongst
us, not making due allowance for difference of manners and customs in
different ages and nations; but, let us interpret them how we will, they
at least imply, that a most affectionate and earnest manner of delivery,
in many cases, becomes a preacher of God's word. Preaching of the
word of God is commonly spoken of in Scripture, in such expressions as
seem to import a loud and earnest speaking; as in Isa. xl. 2. "Speak
ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her iniquity is pardoned."
And ver. 3. "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the way of the Lord,"--ver. 6. "The voice said, Cry. And
he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness
thereof as the flower of the field." Jer. ii. 2. "Go and cry
in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, " &c.
Jonah i. 2. "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against
it." Isa. lxi. 1,2. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek--to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day
of vengeance of our God." Isa. lxii. 11. "Behold, the Lord hath
proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion,
Behold, thy salvation cometh," &c. Rom. x. 18. "Their sound
went into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."
Jer. xi. 6. "Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and
in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant,
and do them." So, chap. xix. 2. and vii. 2. Prov. viii. 1. "Doth
not wisdom cry, and understanding put forth her voice?" ver. 3,4.
"She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming
in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons
of men." and chap. i. 20. "Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth
her voice in the streets." Chap. ix. 3. "She hath sent forth
her maidens, she crieth upon the high places of the city." John vii.
37. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."
It seems to be foretold, that the gospel should be especially preached
in a loud and earnest manner, at the introduction of the prosperous state
of religion in the latter days. Isa. xl. 9. "O Zion, that bringest
good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain! O Jerusalem, that bringest
good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength! Lift it up, and be not
afraid! Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" Isa. lii.
7, 8. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth good tidings!--Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice." Isa.
xxvii. 13. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great
trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish."--And
this will be one way by which the church of God will cry at that time
like a travailing woman, when Christ mystical is going to be brought forth;
as Rev. xii. At the beginning. It will be by ministers, as her mouth,
that Christ will then cry like a travailing woman, as in Isa. xlii. 14.
"I have long time holden my peace, I have been still and refrained
myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman." Christ cries by
his ministers, and the church cries by her officers. And it is to be noted,
that the word commonly used in the New Testament which we translate preach,
properly signifies to proclaim aloud like a crier. |