By the REV THOMAS BOSTON, M.A.
Carnal Wisdom.—Thy body is weak, spare it, and weary it not; it cannot abide toil, labour, and weariness; spare thyself then.
Spiritual Wisdom.—Your body is God’s as well as your spirit; spare it not for glorifying God, I. Cor. vi. 20. “In weariness and painfulness,” II. Cor. xi. 27. “He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength,” Isaiah xl. 29. This thou hast experienced.
C.W.—Labour to get neat and fine expressions; for these do very much commend a preaching to the learned; and without these they think nothing of it.
S.W.—Christ sent thee to “preach the Gospel not with wisdom of words,” I. Cor. i. 17. Go not to them with “excellency of speech or of wisdom,” I. Cor. ii. 1. Let not thy speech and preaching be with “the enticing words of man’s wisdom,” I. Cor. ii. 4.
C.W.—Endeavour to be somewhat smooth in preaching, and calm; and do not go out upon the particular sins of the land, or of the persons to whom thou preachest.
S.W.—”Cry aloud, and spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet: shew my people their sins,” Isaiah lviii. 1. “Open rebuke is better than secret love,” Prov. xxvii. 5. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth,” II. Tim. ii. 15.
C.W.—If thou wilt not do so, they will be irritated against thee, and may create thee trouble; and what a foolish thing it would be for thee to speak boldly to such a generation as this, whose very looks are terrible?
S.W.—”He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue,” Prov. xxviii. 23. I have experience of this. “Fear them not, neither be afraid at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. I have made thy face strong against their faces,” Ezek. iii. 8, 9. Experience confirms this.
C.W.—It is a dangerous way to speak freely, and condescend on particulars: there may be more hazard in it than thou art aware of.
S.W.—”He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely,” Prov. x. 9. “Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved,” Prov. xxviii. 18.
C.W.—Thou wilt be looked on as a fool, as a monster of men; thou wilt be called a railer; and so lose thy reputation and credit; and thou hadst need to preserve that. Men will hate and abhor thee; and why shouldst thou expose thyself to these things?
S.W.—”Thou must become a fool, that thou mayest be wise,” I. Cor. iii. 18. “We are made a spectacle to the world,” I. Cor. iv. 9, see verse 10. “The servant is not greater than his Lord,” John v. 20, compared with chapter x. 20. “He hath a devil and is mad, why hear ye him?” If thou wilt be Christ’s disciple, “thou must deny thyself,” Matthew xvi. 24. “If the world hate you, ye know it hated me before it hated you” (John xv. 18), says our Lord.
C.W.—Great people especially will be offended at you; if you speak not fair to them and court and caress them. And if you be looked down upon by great people, who are wise and mighty, what will you think of your preaching.
S.W.—”Accept no man’s person, neither give flattering titles to man: for, in so doing, thy Maker will soon take thee away,” Job xxxii. 21, 22.” “Few of the rulers believe on Christ,” John vii. 48. “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called,” I. Cor. i. 26. “Speak thou God’s words to kings, and be not ashamed,” Psalm cxix. 46.
C.W.—Our people are new come out from under Prelacy, and they would not desire to have sins told particularly, and especially old sores to be ripped up. They cannot abide that doctrine. Other doctrine would take better with them. Hold off such things; for it may well do them ill. It will do them no good.
S.W.—”Thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious,” Ezek. ii. 7. “Give them warning from me. If thou do it not, they shall die in their sins, but their blood will I require at thy hand,” Ezek. iii. 17, 18. “What the Lord saith to thee, that do thou speak,” I. Kings xxii. 14.
C.W.—If you will preach such things, yet prudence requires that you speak of them very warily. Though conscience says you must, yet speak them somewhat covertly, that you may not offend them sore, and especially with respect to them that are but coming in yet, and do not fill them with prejudices at first; you may get occasion afterwards.
S.W.—”Cry aloud, and spare not,” Isaiah lviii. 1. “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully,” Jer. xlviii. 10. “Handle not the word of the Lord deceitfully.” Peter, at the first, told the Jews that were but coming in to hear, “Him (Christ) ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain,” Acts ii. 23. “Work while it is called to-day; the night cometh wherein thou canst not work,” John ix. 4.
C.W.—Be but fair especially to them that have the stroke in parishes, till you be settled in a parish to get stipend. If you will not do so, you may look for toiling up and down then; for parishes will scare at you, and will not call you, and how will you live? And so such a way of preaching will be to your loss, whereas otherwise it might be better with you.
S.W.—“To have respect of persons is not good; for, for a piece of bread that man will transgress,” Prov. xxvii. 21. “The will of the Lord be done,” Acts xxi. 14. “God hath determined your time, before appointed, and the bounds of your habitation,” Acts xvii. 26. “And His counsel shall stand, oppose it who will,” Isaiah xlvi. 10. “It is God that sets the solitary in families,” Psalm lxviii. 6. “If thou be faithful thou shalt abound with blessings; but if thou makest haste to be rich, thou shalt not be innocent,” Prov. xxviii. 20.