Lectures Upon John 4, Part 7 · Lecture 27
Lecture the seuen and twentieth, October 3. 1609.
WE hauehave heard already out of the second generall point that is to be obserued in this verse, viz. the question she mooues to our Sauiour, that the worship of God is here called adoration, and from thence we were taught, That in all Gods worship, not an inward deuotion onelyonly of the soule, but an outward reuerence of the body is required. And the last day we began to deliuer the vse of the Doctrine touching the necessity of outward reuerence in the whole worship of God, and heard first that it serued for Exhortation, then for Reproofe. The Exhortation was that we should all learne to carry our selues reuerently in all the parts of Gods worship. And for our direction therein, I told you there were rules giuen vsus in the Word, whereof some of them were generall, and those were fiue (which I deliuered to you the last day) and some particular which direct vsus how to carry our selues in eueryevery part of Gods publike worship. And those I am now to deliuer vntounto you: let me intreat your attention and patience while I finish this doctrine, the rather because it is not so pleasing I know vntounto the eare as many other things that may be taught vntounto you.
But 1. It is a truth Christ hath taught vsus in his Word, and whatsoeuer God is pleased to teach, we must be content to heare. For thus saith the Lord of Christ, Ye shall heare him in all things whatsoeuer he shall say vntounto you. Acts 3. 22.
2. It is a truth naturally arising out of this Text, and such as there be few places in Scripture from which it may be so fitly deliuered as from this.
3. It is a truth of continuall vse, and therefore we are bound to teach it, I hauehave kept backe nothing that was profitable vntounto you, saith the Apostle, Acts 20. 20. and if we be bound to teach it, you are bound to heare it also.
4. It is a truth you hauehave not oft heard; and my desire is to speake so fully of it now, that I may not need to teach it againe.
I told you the last day that there bee sixe duties of Gods worship vsed in our Assemblies, and all of them by the ordinance and commandement of the Lord. For 1. We pray togeher. 2. We heare the Word read. 3. We heare the Word preached. 4. We sing Psalmes. 5. We hauehave both the Sacraments administred. 6. We heare and receiue the blessing of God pronounced by his Minister. Now the Word of God hath giuen vsus particular direction how to carry our selues in eueryevery one of these. For prayer we finde three directions. 1. We should (if conueniently we may) kneele at prayer. The fittest gesture in prayer, is kneeling: because we hauehave no gesture in vse amongst vsus, so fit to expresse our humilitie by. For this we hauehave a plaine commandement, to vse it when we may, Psal. 95. 6. Come let vsus worship and fall downe, and kneele before the Lord our maker. So Paul taking his leaue of the Elders of Ephesus, kneeled downe and prayed with them all. Act. 20. 36. And so all the Christians at Tyrus accompanying Paul to the ship with their wiues, and their children kneeled downe on the shore and prayed, Acts 21. 5. Yea we hauehave the example of farre greater persons for this, namely of Salomon, 1. King. 8. 54. And of one that was greater then Salomon, euen out Sauiour himselfe, Luke 22. 41. 2. They that cannot conueniently kneele, should stand, or at least doe as much reuerence with some other gesture and posture of their body as they can. Some cannot conueniently kneele at prayer, through age and other infirmities, and we know God preferres mercy (euen in this kind to our selues) before sacrifice, Matth. 12. 7. Some by reason of their Seates cannot kneele conueniently. If the Minister should kneele at prayer in many Churches, the people could not heare him; no more could many of them doe if they should kneele downe themselues at his prayers. And edification should bee more respected then gesture, or any other thing that is but a matter of circumstance, the Apostle blames the neglect of this as a chiefe fault in Gods publike worship, 1. Cor. 14. 17. and professeth, verse 19. that himselfe had a chiefe respect vntounto this in all the parts of his Ministry; and vers. 26. giues this charge to the Church concerning eueryevery thing that is to be done in the Church-assemblies, Let all things bee done to edifying. Such I say as cannot conueniently kneele should either by standing, or by some other gesture shew as much bodily reuerence as they can. For standing vp at prayer, wee hauehave direction, Nehemiah 9. 2. 5. Marke 11. 25. Luke 18. 13. And for the bodily reuerence that they should striue to shew, that can neither kneele nor stand vp, wee hauehave old and weake Iacobs example, Gen. 47. 31. And Israel worshipped or adored towards the beds head.
If it be obiected that Dauid sate at prayer, 2. Samuel 7. 18. I answer, the word there vsed signifies as properly and vsually to remaine and abide in a place, or at a thing, as to sit; as Genesis 27. 44. Leuiticus 14. 8. 1. Samuel 1. 22. and 20. 19. 2. Samuel 19. 32. in all which places the very same word is vsed in the originall tongue, and must be vnderstood not of the gesture of sitting, but of continuing and making some abode, as all the best translators doe render it. And so it is also to be taken and vnderstood there. Dauid continued before the Lord. 3. All should with silence ioyne in heart with the Minister, and in their vnderstanding and affection, goe with him in his prayer, and at the end of prayer witnesse their consent by saying Amen. And that this is the part and duty of the people in publike prayer, is euident both by the example and direction of the Word in these places, 1. Chron. 16. 36. Nehemiah 8. 6. 1. Corinthians 14. 16.
2. At the hearing of the Word preached, all must attend and hearken diligently, and our whole carriage must bee such, as may no way hinder, but stirre vp, and helpe our attention to that that is taught, Acts 8. 6. The people gaue heed to those things which Philip spake with one accord. And wee are commanded to hearken diligently: Esay 55. 2, 3. From day light till noone the eares of all the people were attentiue: Nehemiah 8. 3. and Prouerbes 2. 2. cause thine eares to hearken. Therefore it is noted to hauehave beene the vse of the people of God (for the helpe of their attention) to fasten their eyes vponupon the Teacher: Luke 4. 20. and to keepe their places: Nehemiah 8. 7. So that to sleepe at Sermon, or to talke, or to suffer the eyes to wander here and there, or to reade, (yea, though it be on the Bible, if wee hinder our attention thereby to that that is taught) argueth want of reuerence, and is a kind of contempt done to Gods Ordinance. Iob speaking of the reuerence that men did beare to him, saith: Iob 29. 9. When hee spake, the Princes stayed talke, and layed their hand vponupon their mouth, and verse 21. vntounto me men gaue eare, and waited, and held their tongue at my counsaile, and ver. 23. they waited for mee as for the raine. In this respect, writing, and taking notes at Sermons (because: 1. It helpes to keepe the mind attentiue to that that is taught. And 2. It helpes the memory) is not vnfit, how euer it be thought by some to be some hinderance to the words working vponupon the affection in hearing.
3. At the hearing of the Word read, some further gesture and outward signification of reuerence is to be vsed, then is required at the hearing of the Sermon. See a proofe of this in the example of the Teacher: Luke 4. 16. Our Sauiour when he read his Text, stood vp to reade; When he beganne his Sermon he sate downe: verse 20. See another proofe of it in the example of the hearers: Neh. 8. 5. When Ezra opened the booke to reade the Scriptures, all the people stood vp. But when they heard the Sermons, they were wont to sit, Ezek. 33. 31. My people sit before thee and heare thy words.
If you aske what reason there is for this, seeing 1. The people of God doe (out of doubt) receiue more profit and comfort by the Word preached, then by the Word read: faith comes by hearing saith the Apostle, Rom. 10. 17. and 1. Cor. 1. 21. it hath pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue such as doe belieue. 2. God workes more mightily by the preaching of the Word, then by the Word read: When Paul saith, Rom. 1. 16. That the Gospell is the power of God vntounto saluation, what meaneth he by the Gospell? surely the preaching of the Gospell, as appeares, vers. 15.
I answer, that though this be so, yet is the Word read in it selfe of farre greater excellency, authority, and certainety then the Sermon of any Preacher in the world. For, 1. It comes more immediatly from God: all Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God, 2. Tim. 3. 16. And though it be translated by men, yet is there in it farre lesse mixture of humane ignorance, and infirmity, then in preaching. While the Word is read, we are sure we heare God speaking vntounto vsus, and that it is the truth that we heare: But not alwaies so when man preacheth, for the best man is subiect to errour: Rom. 3. 4. and 1. Cor. 13. 9. We know in part, and prophecie in part. 2. The Word that is read, is the foundation of all Sermons, and the very Touch-stone whereby they are to be tried. To that which we heare read, simple and absolute obedience is due, without any question made of the truth and certaintie of it, so is it not to that we heare preached, further then we finde it agreable to the written Word: Acts 17. 11. They of Berea are commended for examining that which the Apostles themselues did teach. And a commandement is giuen vsus: 1. Thess. 5. 11. to prooue that we heare, and comparing that with verse 20. it is plaine that in doing so, we shew no contempt to our Teachers. So you see the custome of our Churches in sitting bare, while the Word is read, is grounded vponupon good reason and warrant from the Word of God, and such as it well becomes eueryevery one of Gods people to conforme themselues vntounto.
4. I hauehave beene long in directing what outward behauiour should bee in these three exercises. In the three following I will be the briefer. In singing of Psalmes; though we should respect the matter more, then the Tune, or Musicke, and vse the Tune onelyonly as a meanes to stirre vp, and encrease good meditations and affections in our soules, Col. 3. 16. Teaching and admonishing one another, in Psalmes, and Hymnes, and spirituall Songs. Yet is there (for the reuerence of this part of Gods worship, due respect also to be had of keeping the Tune. And as they shew contempt to the ordinance of God that sit mute and ioyne not with the Congregation in it, so doe they also, that by not keeping the Tune, doe disturbe and breede confusion in the Congregation. It is said of those that sung in the Temple, that they sung as if they had beene all but one man, making one sound to be heard in praising the Lord. 2. Chron. 5. 13.
5. In the time that either of the Sacraments are administred, we hauehave partly learned how we should behaue our selues by that which we hauehave already heard. For in the administration of both the Sacraments the greatest part of the time is spent in prayer, and in reading of the Word, and in singing of Psalmes. But besides all this that hath beene said, this one direction is peculiar to the Sacraments, that we must vse the helpe of our eye, and behold that which is done in the Administration of the Sacraments, we must be hold when the Water is applied, the Bread broken, the Wine powred out and giuen. In the other parts of Gods seruice, the Lord teacheth, and helpeth our edification, by the vse of our eare, in this by the vse of our eye also. In which respect also the Sacrament is called a visible word. When Moses tooke the bloud of the Sacrifice and sprinkled it vponupon the people, he bad them behold the bloud of the couenant which the Lord made with them: Exod. 24. 8.
6. When the blessing is pronounced by the Minister of Christ, at the end of Gods publike worship, and dismissing the Congregation. The people (in reuerence to the Lord whose blessing they are to receiue thereby) should stand vp. When Salomon (who in that was more then a King) blessed the Congregation of Israell, it is precisely noted by the Holy Ghost, that the gesture the people vsed while Salomon gaue the blessing, was standing, 1. King. 8. 14. 2. Chron. 6. …. and all the Congregation of Israell did stand. Thus hauehave I finished the first Vse of this Doctrine, touching the outward reuerence due to the Sanctuary, and giuen you directions out of Gods Word, how yo… should carrie your selues in his publike worship.