Sunday, August 2, 2009

How not to Preach

Sun. 2 Aug 1767. I was sorry to find both the society and the congregations smaller than when I was here last. I impute this chiefly to the manner of preaching which has been generally used. The people have been told frequently and strongly of their coldness, deadness, heaviness, and littleness of faith, but very rarely of anything that would move thankfulness. Hereby many were driven away, and those that remained were kept cold and dead.
I encouraged them strongly at eight in the morning, and about noon preached upon the Castle Hill, on ‘There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.’ The sun shone exceeding hot upon my head, but all was well, for God was in the midst of us. In the evening, I preached on Luke 20:34, etc., and many were comforted, especially while I was enlarging on those deep words, ‘Neither can they die any more, but are equal to the angels and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.’