Sermons in One Volume, Sermon 2
The ſecond Sermon.
IN the ende hereof is prooued, that none ſhould preach without due meditation: which is a common preſumption in theſe daies, and makes the Word and Miniſterie deſpiſed.
Now it remaineth that I ſhould teach you ſo to heare, that you may remember that which is ſayd, and learne more by one Sermon, then you reape by tenne. Chriſt calleth none vntounto him but them which hunger and thirſt, as if none were fit to heare the Word, but they which hunger after it, & bring a ſtomacke with thē. It is written of the Hart, that when he lifteth vp his eares, hee is quicke of hearing, & heareth eueryevery noiſe: but when he laieth down his eares, he is deafe and heareth nothing: So it is, when you marke and when you mark not. They which are quicke of hearing, are ſure of remembrāce: but they which are dull of hearing, are ſhort in keeping: therefore before I teach you howe to heare, giuegive me leaue againe to ſay as my Text ſayth, Take heede how ye heare, that both our labors be not loſt.
As there be two ſpirites, ſo there be two doctrines, two wiſdomes, and two counſels. In 1. Timothie 4. 1. There is a doctrine of diuels: if you heare that doctrine, you hearken to the Diuell, as Saul did to a Witch. In the fifteenth of Math.Mar. 10. there is a doctrine of men, which Chriſt calles Leauen: if you hearken to that, you ſhal erre like men, becauſe the blind lead the blinde. In Gen. 3. there is a counſell of the ſerpent: if you hearken to that, you ſhal periſh like Eue. In the 2. Sam. 18. there is a wiſdom of Achitophel: if you hearkē to that, you ſhall ſpeed like Abſolon. Of all theſe Salomon ſaith, Hearken no more to the wordes which make thee to erre. Pro. 16. 27.But there is another doctrine, Act. 13. 12. which is called, The doctrine of the Lord of this it is ſayd. Luk. 8. Whoſoeuer hath an eare to heare let him heare.
Now to ſhew you how you ſhould heare, When Peter & Iohn would make the cripple attentiue,Act. 3. they ſaid vntounto him, Looke vponupon vsus: ſo, many to ſharpen their attention, deſire to ſtand before the preacher, that they may look him in the face. by this little help Peter ſheweth, that we had need to vſe many helpes to make vsus heare well. In the thirteenth chapter, & fifteenth verſe of the Propheſie of Ieremie when the Lord ſpeaketh, it is ſaide: Heare and giuegive eare, as though we ſhould heare and more than heare. This more than heare, is to marke, and vnderſtand, and remember, and beleeue, & follow that which we heare: Like the Iewes which ſaid, All which thou ſpeakest from the Lord, we will doe it: Exod. 24. So all that which wee ſpeake vntounto you from the Lord, you ſhould do it: Therfore all the commaundements but the laſt are commaundements of doing. And Salomon in the twelfth Chapter of Eccleſiaſtes, and thirteenth verſe, concludes his doctrine with this, which hee calleth the ſumme of all: Feare the Lord and keepe his commandements. In the third Chap- of Exodus, and the fifth verſe, God teacheth vsus how to heare, when he ſpeakes to Moſes and bids him put off his ſhooes: So we ſhould put off our luſts, & our thoughts, & our cares, and our fancies, and all our buſineſſe, when God ſpeaks, for he which thinks or doth any thing elſe, when he ſhould doe that which is better, though it be good which he doth, yet he doth ſinne in doing it.
In the 10 of the Reuelation, an Angell teacheth vsus how to heare, when he willed Iohn to eate the Booke: ſhewing that we ſhould hunger after the word, and digeſt it into eueryevery parte as we digeſt meate.
In Math. 15. Chriſt teacheth vsus howe to heare, when he ſaith, Heare and vnderstand. And againe in Mark. 4. when he ſaith, Take heede what ye heare. Eſa. 42. 23.And Eſay teacheth you how to heare, when he ſaith: Heare for afterwards: ſhewing, that more doe heare for the preſent then for afterwarde, becauſe they forget it againe, and after a while are neuer the better. In 1. Cor. 6. 1. Paul teacheth vsus how to heare, when he ſaith, Receiue not the grace of God in vaine, ſhewing that many heare cō fort, and are not comforted, many heare inſtruction, and are not inſtructed. Iames teacheth vsus how to heare, Cap. 1. 22. when hee ſaith: Be not hearers only, but dooers: ſhewing that you ſhould do as you heare, as you would hauehave vsus to do as we teach.Math. 22. In the 10. of Luke, Marie teacheth vsus howe to heare, when ſhe leaues all to ſit at Chriſts feete and marke his doctrine: ſhewing that wee ſhould not ſay like the churliſh gueſtes, we hauehave other buſineſſe; but that this is our buſineſſe, as Chriſt anſwered his Parents, I must goe about my fathers buſineſſe.
In Luke 2. the virgine teacheth vsus how to heare; when ſhe heard the ſayings of Anna and Simeon, and Chriſt, it is ſaid that ſhe pondered them, & laid them vp in her heart: ſhewing that our eares ſhuld be but meſſengers to the heart: for our treaſure ſhould be where the heart is, as the heart is where the treaſure is. In the 17. of the Actes, the men of Boerea teach vsus how to heare, when they went home and ſearched the Scriptures ſo ſoone as they had heard Paul preach, to ſee whether Moſes and the Prophets did teach the ſame, ſhewing that the worde is our Touchſtone to trie the Doctrines if wee will not crie.
In the 8. of Luke, all the Diſciples teach vsus how to heare, when they noted Chriſts parable, & repeated it againe vntounto him, to know the meaning: ſhewing that we ſhould not onelyonly heare, and the preacher onelyonly preach: but if you doubt of any thing, you ſhould inquire, and they ſhould inſtruct you againe. In the third of Luke, the Souldiers and the Harlots and the Publicanes teach vsus how to heare, when they come to require, and aske, Master, what ſhall we doe? ſhewing, that we ſhould come to heare ſome thing which may incourage vsus to this vertue, or arme vsus againſt that vice, that we goe from hearing to doing as Iohn taught them: all theſe are glaſſes in the ſcripture for the hearer to addreſſe himſelfe by, before he come to the ſermon.
Beſide theſe, other things doe teach vsus too. As Salomon ſayth, Go to the Piſmire, and learne to labour: ſo Chriſt in the beginning of this Chapter ſends vsus to the husband-man to learne to heare, as he prepareth the ground before he ſow his ſeede, leſt his ſeed ſhould be loſt: ſo we ſhould prepare our hearts before we heare, leſt Gods ſeede be loſt. In the …0. of Iohn he ſends vsus to the ſheep: as they know the voice of their ſhepheard, and will not heare a ſtranger, ſo we ſhuld know the voice of Chriſt frō the voice of Popes, or Doctors, or Counſels, or Traditions, leſt we goe like Samuel from God to Eli. When you hauehave bin in the ſheep-folds, go to the woods, & learne of the birdes: for they will ſo liſten to him, which teacheth them to ſing, that they learne to ſing the ſame note after him, ſo we ſhould learne to ſing the tune of the ſpirite: for they which heare the word aright, learne to ſpeake euen as the Worde ſpeaketh.
Beſide theſe ſchoolemaſters, we hauehave other Teachers too, all the titles which are giuen to the Word, doe teach vsus how we ſhould heare the Word The Apoſtles call their writings Epſtles. The Epiſtle to the Romanes, The Epiſtle to the Corinthians, &c. ſhewing that the Word is like an Epistle ſent from God to man, wherein he writes his mind familiarly vntounto vsus, and therefore we ſhould read it, heare it, marke it, and ſcanne it, as we would ſcanne a Letter which comes from ſome of our familiar and deare friends.
In Mark. 14. the Goſpel of Chriſt is called his Teſtament or Will, ſhewing, that our Legacies are written in it, and that wee ſhoulde heare it, and marke it, and plie it till wee bee as cunning in Gods will, as we are in our Fathers will. In the firſt Epiſtle of Saint Paul to Timothie the ſixt chapter, the Word is called a charge, and in the ſecond to Timothie the fourth chapter, GOD is called a Iudge, ſhewing that we ſhuld hear the word of God as we hearken to a Iudge, when hee giues a charge, or pronounceth a ſentence: for eueryevery ſentence in this booke is a charge to the King or the Counſeller, or the Lawyer, or the Preacher, or one, or other, let eueryevery one heare his charge.
In the fift Chapter of the Epiſtle to the Hebrues, ver. 14. the Word is called meat, ſhewing that we ſhould deſire and hunger to hear it. And as the ſtomacke ſends the ſtrength of the meat into eueryevery member of the body: ſo we ſhould ſend to the eye, that which is ſpoken to the eye: and to the eare, that which is ſpoken to the eare: and to the tongue, that which is ſpoken to the tongue: and to the hande, that which is ſpoken to the hande. If thou heare comfort apply that to thy feare. If thou heare a promiſe, apply that to thy diſtruſt. If thou heare a threatning, applie that to thy preſumption, and fill vp the gap ſtill where the diuell entreth.
In the parable before my texte, the word is cōpared to ſeede: the preachers to ſowers, & the hearers to the grounde, ſhewing, that ye come hither to be watered and dreſſed, and manured: therefore if Gods ſeede be ſowne, and the diuels fruits come vp: you are like the Iewes, which brought Chriſt vineger when he thirſted for wine.
As the little birds perke vp their heads when their damme comes with meate, and prepare their beakes to take it, ſtriuing who ſhall catch moſt; now this lookes to be ſerued, and now that lookes for a bit, and eueryevery mouth is open vntill it bee filled: ſo you are here like birds, and we the damme, and the worde the foode, therefore you muſt prepare a mouth to take it. They which are hungry wil ſtriue for the bread which is caſt amongſt them, & think this is ſpoken to me, this is ſpoken to me, I hauehave neede of this, and I hauehave neede of this: comfort goe thou to my feare, promiſe goe thou to my diſtruſt, theatning goe thou to my ſecuritie, and the Word ſhall be like a perfume, which hath odour for eueryevery one.
Theſe are good remembrances for all hearers to thinke that the Word is an Epſtle frō God vntounto them, that it is the Will wherein their Legacies are written, that it is a charge from the Iudge of life and death, that it is the meate whereby they liue, that it is the ſeede which if it growe they are fruitfull, if it growe not they hauehave no fruite, but theſe are generall matters, my deſire is to teach you a compendious way of hearing, which you hauehave not heard before, that as the Word is called a briefe worde, ſo you may learne it briefly: for it is not gainfull vntounto vsus as it is to Lawyers, Phiſitians and Surgeons, to keepe you long in hand, but to heale you and diſpatch you quickly as Chriſt healed the Leapers. This Age hath deuiſed diuers Methods to learne many things in ſhorter time than they were learned of old: A man may ſpend ſeauen yeares in learning to write, and he may meet with a Scribe which will teach him as much in a monethmonth. A Prentice may ſpende nine yeares in learning a trade, and ſome maiſter (if hee were diſpoſed) would teach him as much in a twelue monethmonth. A man may fetch ſuch a compaſſe that he may be a whole monethmonth in going to Barwicke, and another which knoweth the way will goe it in leſſe than a week: ſo to eueryevery thing there is a farther way and a neerer way, and ſo there is to knowledge. You do not remember the hundreth part of that which you hauehave heard, & to morrowe you will not remember the tenth note which you heare this day. It may be that ſome wil remember more: and why not thou as well as hee? becauſe one vſeth a helpe for his memorie, which the other vſeth not. If you will vſe his policie, you ſhall remember as wel as he: for let him neglect his help, and the beſt memorie here ſhall not carrie away halfe which he marketh now, vntill it be night. When the woman of Samaria heard Chriſt ſpeake of a water, of which he that drinketh ſhall thirſt no more, Oh (ſaith ſhe) giuegive me of that water: ſo now you heare of ſuch a way, you would faine know it: but will you vſe it? I wiſh that I were ſuch a meſſenger,Matth. 22. that I could compell you vntounto it: for truely vntill you vſe it, you ſhall neuer learne faſter then you doe. Now I thinke you hauehave a deſire to heare it, I will ſhew it vntounto you. Firſt in mine opinion, two things out of eueryevery Sermon are ſpecially to bee noted, that which thou didſt not know before, and that which ſpeaketh to thine owne ſinne: for ſo thou ſhalt encreaſe thy knowledge, and leſſen thy vices.
Now if thou wouldeſt remember both theſe a yeare hence as freſh as now, this is the beſt policie that euer thou ſhalt learne, to put them preſently in practiſe, that is, to ſende them abroad to all the parts of thy ſoule, and members of thy bodie, and reforme thy ſelfe ſemblably to them, and thou ſhalt neuer forget them, for thy practiſe remembreth them: but before this, you muſt vſe another helpe, that is, record eueryevery note in thy minde as the preacher goeth, and after before thou doeſt eate, or drinke, or talke, or any thing elſe, repeate all to thy ſelfe. I doe know ſome in the Vniuerſitie, which did neuer heare good Sermon, but aſſoone as they were gone, they … it thus, and learned more by this (as … ſayd) then by their reading and ſtudie: for recording that which they had heard when it was freſh, they could remember all, and hereby got a better facilitie in preaching, then they could learne in bookes. The like profite I remember I gained when I was a ſcholler by the like practiſe.
The Philoſophers and Orators that hauehave written ſuch volumes, hauehave left in their writings, that this was the keeper of their learning, like the bagge which beareth the treaſures. Therefore I may ſay with Chriſt, that the wicked are wiſer then Chriſtians: for the Orators and Philoſophers vſed this helpe in hearing of earthly things, and wee will not vſe it in hearing of heauenly things. The onlie cauſe why you forget ſo faſt as you heare, and of al the ſermons which you hauehave heard hauehave ſcarce the ſubſtance of one in your hearts, to comfort or counſaile you when you hauehave neede, is becauſe you went from Sermon to dinner, and neuer thought any more of the matter, as though it were enough to heare, like ſieues which hold water no longer then they are in the Riuer.
What a ſhame is this to remember euerie clauſe in your Leaſe, and eueryevery poynt in your Fathers will, nay, to remember an old tale ſo long as you liue, though it bee long ſince you heard it, and the leſſons which ye heare now, will bee gone within this houre, that you may aske what hath ſtollen my ſermon from me? Therefore that you may not heare vsus in vaine, as you hauehave heard others, my exhortation vntounto you, is, to recorde when you are gone, that which you hauehave heard. If I could reach you a better way, I would: but Chriſts Diſciples vſed this way when their thoughts ranne vponupon his ſpeech,Luk. 8. and made them come againe to him to aske the meaning: the Virgine his Mother vſeth this way when ſhee pondered his ſayings,Luk 1. and laide them vp in her heart:Act. 17. the good hearers of Beroea vſed this waye, when they carried Pauls Sermon home with them, that they might examine it by the Scriptures. This difference is noted between Iacob and his ſonnes, when Ioſeph vttered his dreame, his brethren gaue no regarde to it: but it is ſayd that Father Iacob noted the ſaying. Therefore this muſt needes be an excellent way.Gen. 37. 11. For if Ioſeph, and Marie, and Chriſtes Diſciples ſhould ſpeake vntounto you as I doe, and ſhewe you a way to heare, they would ſhewe you the ſame way that they vſed themſelues. You cannot tell how much it will profite you vntill you practiſe it: doe but trie it one monethmonth, and if you louelove knowledge, I am ſure you will vſe it while you liue. But if you will not vſe it for all that can bee ſaid, truely you ſhall be like the olde women which S. Paul ſpeakes of, which were alwaies learning, and were neuer the wiſer.
This is our firſt leſſon vntounto you, Take heede how you heare: I may ſay now, Take heede how you reade too. For there are bookes abroad like Iſmaels ſcoffes,Eſa. 36. like Rabſhekeh his railings, like the ſongs which were made againſt Dauid, which may write for the title of their Bookes,1. King. 16. 34. Fooles in print. If Hiel had not built Iericho againe, theſe might bee fit worke-men for ſuch a frame. If you muſt Take heede how you heare: then we muſt take heede how wee preach, for you heare that which wee preach.Of negligent preaching. Therefore Paul putteth none amongſt the number of Preachers, but they which cut the Worde aright: that is, in right wordes, in right ſenſe, and in right methode: and becauſe none can doe this without ſtudie and meditation, therefore he teacheth Timothie to giuegive attendance to Doctrine▪ that is, to make a ſtudie and labour of it: for as Paul ſaith, that in Peters Epiſtles there bee many things hard to vnderſtand: ſo in Pauls Epiſtles, and Iohns Epiſtles, and Iames Epiſtle, there bee many hard things too, which Dauid before called, The wonders of the Lawe, and Paul calleth The mysterie of ſaluation, and Chriſt calleth A Treaſure hid in the ground. Therefore Salomon confeſſeth that he ſtudied for his Doctrines, Eccl. 12. 10. Although hee was the wiſeſt and learnedſt man that euer was, yet he thought, that without ſtudie he could not doe much good. Daniel was a Prophet, and yet he deſired reſpite to interpret Nabuchadnezzars Dreame.Dan. 2. 16. Is the Scripture lighter then a Dreame, that we ſhould interpret it without meditation? It ſeemes then that Salomon and Daniel would not count them Sermons, which come foorth like vntimely births from vncircumciſed lips, and vnwaſhen hands, as though they had the ſpirit at commandement. Wheate is good, but they which ſell the refuſe thereof, are reproued: Amos. 8. 6. So preaching is good, but this refuſe of preaching is but like ſwearing: for one takes the name of God in vaine, and the other takes the word of God in vaine. As eueryevery ſound is not muſicke, ſo eueryevery Sermon is not preaching, but worſe then if he ſhould reade an Homily. For if Iames would hauehave vsus conſider what wee aske before wee come to pray, much more ſhould we conſider before we come to preach: for it is harder to ſpeake Gods words, then to ſpeak to God. Yet there are preachers riſen lately vp, which ſhrowde eueryevery abſurd ſermon vnderunder the name of the ſimple kinde of teaching, like the Popiſh Prieſts, which made ignorance the mother of deuotion: but indeede to preach ſimply, is not to preach vnlearnedly, nor confuſedly, but plainly and perſpicuouſly, that the ſimpleſt which doth heare, may vnderſtand what is taught, as if he did heare his name.
But if you will know why many preachers preach ſo barely, looſely, & ſimply, it is your owne ſimplicitie which makes them thinke that if they goe on and ſay ſomething all is one, and no fault will be found, becauſe you are not able to iudge in or out: and ſo becauſe they giuegive no attendance to doctrine, as Paul teacheth thē, it is almoſt come to paſſe, that in a whole Sermon, the hearer cannot picke out one note more then he could gather himſelfe: and many loathe preaching, as the Iewes abhorred the ſacrifice, for the ſlubbering Prieſts which cared not what they offered: and the greater ſort imagine that there is no more wiſedome in the word of GOD, then their teachers ſhewe out of it. What a ſhame is this that the preachers ſhould make preaching bee deſpiſed? In the 48. of Ieremiah, there is a curſe vponupon them which doe the buſineſſe of the Lord negligently: if this curſe doe not touch them which do the chiefeſt buſineſſe of the Lord negligently, it cannot take holde of any other. Therefore let eueryevery preacher firſt ſee how his notes dooth moue himſelfe, and then he ſhall hauehave comfort to deliuer them to other, like an experienſt medicine, which himſelfe hath proued.
Thus much of preaching: nowe to you which heare. Thinke that you are gathering Manna, and that it is God which ſpeakes vntounto you, and that you ſhall giuegive account for eueryevery leſſon which ye heare: and therefore record like Marie whē you are gone, and the ſeede which wee ſowe, ſhall grow faſter then the ſeed which you ſow.
FINIS.