Subjects of Preaching '« By preaching of God's Word the glory of God is enlarged, faith is nourished, and charity increased. By it the ignorant is instructed, the negligent exhorted and excited, the stubborn rebuked, the weak conscience comforted, and to all those that sin of malicious wickedness the wrath of God is threatened. By preaching also due obedience to Christian princes and magistrates is planted in the hearts of subjects: for obedience proceedeth of conscience ; conscience is grounded upon the Word of God ; the Word of God worketh his effect by preaching."'—Zdmund Grindal, m a Letter to Queen Elizabeth.
Subjects of Preaching HE subjects with which Wesley deals in his remarks on preaching are subjects suggested by the exigencies of his own experience. He does not discuss the matter in the abstract, but always from a practical point of view, and with special reference to such phases of it as are forced upon his attention by the inquiries of correspondents or the needs and circumstances of his hearers. Hence what we get is not a general view, but fragmentary disconnected glimpses.
Meagre as the treatment is, however, it is important because of the light which it throws upon certain aspects John Wesley on Preaching of his work, and by reflection on analogous features in our own.
Complaint is sometimes made today, for instance, that the pulpit does not give sufficient prominence to the future punishment of the wicked, that the fears of men are not appealed to so frequently and effectually as in the past. In view of this, the peep afforded into Wesley's mind by the following extract from a letter to Mr. John Smith, in a746)uis interesting :— His correspondent asks: '' But may not love itself constrain us to lay before men 'the terrors of the Lord'?
And is it not better that sinners should be terrified now than that they should sleep on and awake in hell?"
Subjects of Preaching Wesley replies: ''I have known exceeding happy effects of this, even upon men of strong understanding; yet I agree with you that there is little good to be done by 'the profuse throwing about of hell and damnation.'"
That the founder of Methodism experienced difficulty in bringing his hearers to lay sufficient stress on the ethical claims of Christianity is evident from the following entries in his Journal, and there are probably few who will maintain that men are so improved as not to require to-day the preaching so much needed then :— - ''In preaching on those words, 'Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die and not live,' I took vi John Wesley on Preaching occasion to exhort all who had not done it already, to settle their temporal affairs without delay. Let not any man who reads these words put it off a day longer !"—The Journal, 1779.
''T preached from 1 Corinthians Xili. I, 2, 3, in utter defiance of their common saying, 'He is a good man, though he has bad tempers.' Nay, if he has bad tempers, he is no more a good man than the devil is a good angel."—The Journal, 1784.
''In the evening I preached in the town hall at Cardiff, and showed the scriptural meaning of that much-mistaken word, 'A Christian.'"—The Journal, 1784.
'I strongly enforced the necessity of that humble, gentle, patient love, Subjects of Preaching which is the very essence of true religion."—TZhe Journal, 1784.
''T strongly enforced St. James's beautiful description of 'the wisdom from above.' How hard it is to fix, even on serious hearers, a lasting sense of the nature of true religion!
Let it be right opinions, right modes of worship, or anything rather than right tempers."—TZhe Journal, 1785.
That teaching, thoroughly practical and yet based on evangelical principles, characterised his coadjutors as well as himself is manifest.
In A Short Address to the Inhabitants of Ireland (1749) he thus describes 'the teaching of the first Methodist preachers :—- 'The doctrines they constantly teach are these: That religion does
John Wesley on Preaching not consist in xegatzves only—in not taking the name of God in vain, in not robbing or murdering our neighbour, in bare abstaining from evil of any or every kind; but is a veal, positzve thing: That it does not consist in externals only—in attending the church and sacrament (although all these things they approve and recommend), in using all the means of grace, or in works of charity (commonly so called) superadded to works of piety; but that it is properly and strictly a principle within, seated in the inmost soul, and thence manifesting itself by these outward fruits on all suitable occasions.
'¢They insist that nothing deserves the name of religion but a virtuous heart, producing a virtuous life: a Subjects of Preaching complication of justice, mercy, and truth, of every right and amiable temper, beaming forth from the deepest recesses of the mind, in a series of wise and generous actions.
'**Compositum, jus, fasque animo, sanctosque recessus Mentis, et incoctum generose pectus honesto.' * '"These are their constant doctrines.
It is true they occasionally touch on abundance of other things. Thus they frequently maintain that there is an inseparable connection between virtue and happiness, that none but * This quotation from Persius is thus translated by Drummond :— **Let me present a mind Which civil and religious duties bind ; A guileless heart, which no dark secret knows,
But with the generous love of virtue glows."
John Wesley on Preaching a virtuous (or, as they usually express it, a religious) man can be happy, and that every man is happy in the same proportion as he is truly religious, seeing a contented mind (according to them), a cheerful, thankful, joyous acquiescence in every disposal of that Sovereign Wisdom who governs both heaven and earth, if it be not an essential branch of religion, is, at least, a necessary consequence of it.
On all proper occasions they strongly recommend, on the one hand, the most intense love of our country; on the other the firmest loyalty to our Prince, abstracted from all views of private interest. They likewise take every opportunity of enforcing the absolute necessity of sobriety and temperance, of unwearied industry in Subjects of Preaching the works of our calling, of moral honesty in all its branches, and, particularly, in the discharge of all relative duties, without which, they say, religion is vain. But all these they recommend on that one single ground—the love of God and of all mankind—declaring them to be of no avail if they do not spring from this love, as well as terminate and centre therein."
The comparative merits of faith and works were more ardently discussed in Wesley's day, and the antithesis between the Law and the Gospel more strongly accentuated. Many preachers delighted in expatiating on the privileges and enjoyments of religion, forgetful of its duties. Such teaching was a fruitful source of AntiJohn Wesley on Preaching nomianism, and awoke in Wesley's breast an indignation that found at times vehement expression. He had scanty tolerance for those who under the plea of preaching '' gospel sermons" ignored the obligations of morality, and produced in _ their hearers a flabby, self-indulgent emotionalism. Times have changed for the better in this respect; but there are still some who need the benefit of his strictures, and who may be induced to entertain stronger, more bracing views of gospel teaching through the perusal of the following excerpts.
Subjects of Preaching PREACHING THE LAW From a letter to Mr. Joseph Cownley (1750):— ''T see a danger you are in, which perhaps you do not see yourself. Is it not most pleasing to me, as well as you, to be always preaching of the love of God? And is there not a time when we are peculiarly led thereto, and find a peculiar blessing therein? Without doubt, so it is. But yet it would be utterly wrong and unscriptural to preach of nothing else. Let the law always prepare for the gospel. I scarce ever spoke more earnestly here of the love of God in Christ than last night: but it was after I had been tearing the unawakened in pieces.
F 65 John Wesley on Preaching Go and do thou likewise. It is true the love of God in Christ alone feeds his children ; but even they are to be guided as well as fed; yea, and often physicked too: And the bulk of our hearers must be purged before they are fed; else we only feed the disease.
Beware of all honey. It is the best extreme ; but it is an extreme."
From a ''Letter on Preaching Christ" (1751) :— "'T mean by preaching the gospel, preaching the love of God to sinners, preaching the life, death, resurrection, and intercession of Christ, with all the blessings which, in consequence thereof, are freely given to true believers.
'* By preaching the law, | mean explaining and enforcing the commands Subjects of Preaching of Christ, briefly comprised in the "'T think the right method of preaching is this: At our first beginning to preach at any place, after a general declaration of the love of God to sinners, and His willingness that they should be saved, to preach the law, in the strongest, the closest, the most searching manner possible; only intermixing the gospel here and there, and showing it, as it were, afar off.
'After more and more persons are convinced of sin, we may mix more and more of the gospel, in order to 'beget faith,' to raise into spiritual life those whom the law hath slain; but this is not to be done too hastily
John Wesley on Preaching neither. Therefore it is not expedient wholly to omit the law; not only because we may well suppose that many of our hearers are still unconvinced; but because otherwise there is a danger that many who are convinced will heal their own wounds slightly; therefore it is only in private converse with a thoroughly convinced sinner that we should preach nothing but the gospel.
''Tf, indeed, we could suppose a whole congregation to be thus convinced, we should need to preach only the gospel; and the same we might do if our whole congregation were supposed to be newly justified.
But when these grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ, a wise builder would preach the law to them Subjects of Preaching again; only taking particular care to place every part of it in a gospel light, as not only a command, but a privilege also, as a branch of the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
'By preaching the law in the manner above described he would teach them how to walk in Him whom they had received. Yea, and the same means would both sustain and increase their spiritual life. For the commands are food as well as the promises; food equally wholesome, equally substantial. These also, duly applied, not only direct but likewise nourish and strengthen the soul.
'* According to this model I should John Wesley on Preaching preach the law; the law grafted upon, tempered by, and animated with, the spirit of the gospel. I advise him to declare, explain, and enforce every command of God; but meantime to declare in every sermon (and the more explicitly the better) that the first and great command to a Christian is—Believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ, that Christ is all in all, our 'wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption'; that all life, ' love, strength are from Him alone, and all freely given to us through faith, And it will ever be found that the law thus preached both enlightens and strengthens the soul; that it both nourishes and teaches; that it is the guide, 'food, medicine, and stay' of the believing soul."
Subjects of Preaching GOSPEL PREACHING From a letter to his brother Charles (1772) — "'Tf we duly join faith and works in all our preaching, we shall not fail of a blessing. But of all preaching, what is usually called gospel preaching is the most useless, if not the most mischievous: a dull, yea, or lively harangue on the sufferings of Christ, or salvation by faith, without strongly inculcating holiness. I see, more and more, that this naturally tends to drive holiness out of the world."'
From a '*Letter on Preaching Christ" (1751) :— 'The gospel preachers, so called, corrupt their hearers; they vitiate John Wesley on Preaching their taste, so that they cannot relish sound doctrine ; and spoil their appetite, so that they cannot turn it into nourishment; they, as it were, feed them with sweetmeats, till the genuine wine of the kingdom seems quite insipid to them. They give them cordial upon cordial, which makes them all life and spirit for the present; but, meantime, their appetite is destroyed, so that they can neither retain nor digest the pure milk of the word."
'¢T showed in the evening what the Gospel is, and what it is to preach the Gospel. The next evening I explained at large the wrong and right sense of ' Ye are saved by faith.' And many saw how miserably they had
Subjects of Preaching been abused by those vulgarly called Gospel Preachers."— The /ournal, 770.
''We had a plain, useful sermon from the vicar, though some said, 'He did not preach the Gospel.'
He preached what these men have great need to hear, lest they seek death in the error of their life."— The Journal, 1777.
From a letter to Miss Bishop (1778) — '*T find more profit in sermons on either good tempers or good works than in what are vulgarly called eospel sermons. That term has now become a mere cant word: I wish none of our society would use it. It has no determinate meaning. Let but a me73 John Wesley on Preaching pert, self-sufficient animal, that has neither sense nor grace, bawl out something about Christ, or His blood, or justification by faith, and his hearers cry out, 'What a fine gospel sermon!' Surely the Methodists have not so learned Christ !"