Preaching: Puritan and Reformed
An Address by Rev. J. A. Caiger from the 1961 Puritan Conference
Originally preached Dec. 26, 1961
Scripture
Sermon Description
What place does preaching hold in the worship of God? In this address from the 1961 Puritan Conference, the Westminster Directory for Public Worship is examined alongside the practices of the Reformers, Puritans, and eighteenth-century Evangelicals to reveal the central, indispensable role of proclamation in the life of the church. Drawing on the Directory's detailed prescriptions for the minister's preparation, doctrinal exposition, and pastoral application, the paper demonstrates that true preaching is not an addendum to worship but its very heart — set within a framework of prayer, Scripture reading, and the singing of psalms, and aimed always at the edification and salvation of the hearers. In the discussion that follows, Dr. Lloyd-Jones presses the practical implications for the modern minister: the danger of professionalism in the pulpit, the temptation to follow models rather than to preach to the actual congregation, and the absolute necessity of dependence upon the Holy Spirit. He warns against a preoccupation with the form of the sermon at the expense of genuine contact with the people, insisting that the preacher's chief business is not to satisfy his own standard but to convey the truth of God to the souls before him. With characteristic directness, Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds both preachers and laypeople that the remedy for the church's weakness lies not in new methods but in the old power — the outpouring of the Spirit upon the faithful ministry of the Word.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Westminster Directory for Public Worship placed the sermon as the central act of Reformed worship — not an addendum to prayer and praise, but the focal point around which the entire service was structured.
- The great public prayer before the sermon was designed to prepare the congregation by bringing them to a sense of their sinfulness and a hunger for the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
- The Directory required that the minister be gifted in the original languages, grounded in the whole body of divinity, and above all distinguished by his knowledge of Holy Scripture — having his senses and heart exercised above the common sort of believers.
- Preaching was to be doctrinal, drawn from the text of Scripture, expressed in plain terms, with illustrations full of light and designed to convey truth into the hearer's heart with spiritual delight.
- The application of doctrine to the hearts and consciences of hearers was regarded as essential — the preacher must make his auditors feel the Word of God to be quick, powerful, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- Five characteristics marked the preaching of the Reformers, Puritans, and Evangelicals alike: it was intellectual, biblical, theological, pastoral, and above all spiritual — consciously dependent upon the Holy Spirit.
- The eighteenth-century Evangelicals, such as Whitefield and Edwards, brought a sharper evangelistic thrust and a more direct, personal address to the individual soul than the Puritans generally employed.
- In the Q&A, Dr. Lloyd-Jones warned that the greatest danger for preachers is a kind of professionalism — being more interested in preaching as a craft than in the actual salvation and edification of the people sitting before them.
- He insisted that preachers must not follow models slavishly but must be fed by the great tradition and then preach to their own people as they are, in dependence upon the Spirit, not upon form or technique.
- The remedy for the church's present weakness is not to be found in new methods or programs but in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit — and the layperson's first duty is not to advise the preacher but to pray for him.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers
How did the Puritans view the relationship between preaching and worship?
For the Puritans, preaching was not merely one element among many in the service; it was the central act in the public worship of God. The Westminster Directory structured the entire service around the sermon — the opening prayer, Scripture reading, and psalm-singing all led up to the preaching of the Word, and the closing prayer sought God's blessing upon its message. Everything in the order of worship was oriented toward the proclamation and reception of divine truth.
What qualifications did the Westminster Directory require of the preacher?
The Directory expected the minister to be gifted in the original languages. He was to possess a knowledge of the whole body of Scripture, having his senses and heart exercised in the Word above ordinary believers. But beyond learning, he was to depend upon the illumination of God's Spirit, seeking continually by prayer and humility of heart to receive whatever truth God might make known to him.
What distinguished the preaching of the eighteenth-century Evangelicals from that of the Puritans?
While both traditions shared the essential characteristics of being intellectual, biblical, theological, pastoral, and spiritual, the Evangelicals generally preached with a more direct and urgent evangelistic thrust. Men like Whitefield and Edwards addressed the individual soul with a pointed, personal appeal that ran throughout their sermons, rather than reserving application for the conclusion. Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggested this difference may have been partly owing to the Puritans' preoccupation with covenant theology and their failure to recognize the evangelist as belonging to the present order of ministry.
What did Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the greatest danger facing preachers?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warned that the greatest snare for the preacher is to become too interested in preaching itself — to develop a professional attitude shaped more by models and ideals of what a sermon ought to be than by a burning concern for the people actually present. He argued that a preacher who is satisfying his own standard while his congregation remains unchanged is failing in the very purpose of his calling. The business of preaching, he insisted, is to convey truth to the people who are literally in front of us, not as they ought to be, but as they are.
What counsel did Dr. Lloyd-Jones offer to laypeople regarding their ministers?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenged the laypeople in the assembly with characteristic directness: the minister does not need your advice so much as your prayers. He urged them to examine how frequently and earnestly they pray for their minister and his Sunday ministrations, and how many people they are bringing to hear the preaching of the Word. The greatest thing any church member can do for the ministry, he maintained, is not to critique the preacher's form or method but to uphold him before the throne of grace.
Puritan Conferences
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust's collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.