Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God or Advice for Preachers
The chapter in the Directory for Public Worship (DPW) on preaching is full of practical wisdom and earthed. The best thing you can do is close this and read it for yourself here, but what I’ve written is a summary (we’ll see, which is a very DPW thing to do).
The chapter starts long before preacher delivers the sermon. It starts with the preacher himself. The preacher needs to be prepared. He is to be identified as gifted and illumined by the Spirit and to be trained. His training needs to be in Biblical languages, theology especially Scripture but also supporting “arts and sciences”. After that, he needs to be prayerfully and humbly ready.
It then turns to content, what should go in and considerations of how to help the hearers. There is an element of explaining to do, or summarising long passages and then applying it. The preacher is conveying truth in a way that’s to be digestible (e.g. not to “…burden the memory of the hearers in the beginning with too many members of division, nor to trouble their minds with obscure terms of art.”). So, not to much, not to clever. He is to use a plain style with clear illustrations to help his hearers understand. Introductions are to be to the point and rooted in the main message.
Importantly, this message is to be from the text (expository as we say nowadays). The sermon has to be obviously taken from the text (someone said, “don’t let a text stand in the way of a good sermon”, I think he was joking, I hope). At the same time, the preacher has to make wise pastoral choices; he can’t say everything that could be said of a text. He has to chose what is most pressing for those sitting in front of him.
He should not be raising controversies or heresies unless these are things that have troubled the congregations. They don’t need to hear of problems that, wonderfully, the Church has now buried.
So clear doctrine, from the text, but also digestible. But, wait, there is more. It is to be applied for the congregations comfort, equipping to fight temptation, and bring them to repentance.
Preacher and sermon now prepared, the chapter closes by advising about how to deliver the sermon.
“Painfully” (they mean not neglegently)
“Plainly”
“Faithfully” (in honouring Christ and edifying Saints)
“Wisely” (applied well)
“Gravely” (not meaning grumpy, but appropriate to the text and setting, not be a distraction to the message)
“With loving affection”
“As if taught by God” (the preacher needs to be taught before teaching)
That’s a whizz through a short but rich chapter. It’s worth you clicking on the link above and pondering.
