Rules for Hearing the Word of God, hearing
IN Hearing the Word.
DIrection I. Approve Plainneſs and Power. Not only excuſe and endure, but approve and prefer them. You like beſt the Phyſician that heals beſt; and the Counſellor at Law that beſt brings you to Peace, and quiet Poſſeſſion of your Inheritance; tho neither of them do complement you at all, but reprove you much, and chaſtiſe your miſchievous Folly with needful Severity. Be as wiſe for your Souls as for your Bodies and Eſtates. God heals the ſick Souls that prefer and uſe his own preſcribed plain Medicines: But nice and peeviſh Ones, that loath his Manna, and muſt have Quails; that diſguſt his ſharp Word, and muſt be treated with Mens ſmooth Words; ſuch muſt die in their Pride and Folly. Where Preachers be but Muſicians, Churches be but Golgotha's.
Direct. II. Receive the faithful Miniſter's VVords as God's own: for ſo they are; they are God's Words originally; his Sermon as well as his Text, is all of it ſo. They are God's Words materially, as to the Matter and Senſe of them. They are God's Words to you inſtitutively; by God's Command they be ſpoken unto you. They are God's Words given advantagiouſly; Words of God, by the Kindneſs of God, delivered with more Advantage for your Minds and Hearts than in the Holy Scripture barely read: Words of God, with a Comment of his Appointment: Words of God, to which he hath made a ſpecial Promiſe of higheſt Bleſſing: for Faith (eminently) comes by hearing theſe Words: He that heareth you, heareth me, ſaid Chriſt to the Preachers that he ſent. Receive every Goſpel-Sermon as by Chriſt preached, and doubt not but it ſhall be by Chriſt bleſs'd: But if you take the Words as well as the Breath of a Sermon, for ours, the Miſtake will be a deadly Loſs of yours.
Direct. III. Mix abundance of Prayer with your Hearing. Souls are Spirits, their Motions are ſwifter than the Sun's; they can, and they ought to do two things at once: Ejaculation helps Attention, and not hinders it: Bread and Salt muſt be in every Meal, and ſhort warm Prayer in every Duty. Let your Hearts cry out at every Truth delivered, O Lord, fix this Truth on my Soul! At every Precept and Promiſe, Good God, help me to obey this Command, and to rely on this Promiſe! At every Reproof, Glorious Spirit, convince and humble me for this Sin, and lead me to Chriſt for Pardon, &c. Such praying Hearers never loſe their Labours. But wo to them, who tho at Sermon-time they be not deaf Adders, yet they be dumb Dogs, whoſe Hearts do not to this Purpoſe ſpeak, while their Ears hear. I do not well hearken to the Ambaſſador, when I pray not much to the King.
Direct. IV. Apply to your own Souls what the Preacher ſaith to all. To know for one's good, the Hebrews call to know for one's ſelf: And do not all the World ſo do? Miniſters be Nurſes, Sermons be Breaſts, God's Word is Milk, Hearers be the Children, and right Hearing is their ſucking the Milk into each one's own Soul. What another ſucks and applies, will not nouriſh thee. Say thou then of every Doctrine, This is my Leſſon, I will learn it: Of every Command, This is my Duty, I will do it: Of every Promiſe, This is my Encouragement, and I will make Meat and Drink of it; my Soul ſhall rely and feed hereon. Who ever miſſed of Life by the Word of Life, that ſo took it to themſelves? Who did ever thus ſuck, and not grow by the Goſpel's Milk? Bleſſed are they that thus monopolize a Sermon: While, to be ſure, all are ſtarved that do not thus feed, whatever Dainties are ſet before them. And they are the moſt miſerable of all the Damned, who ſtarve themſelves where they might have feaſted.
Direct. V. Expreſs your Reverence of God in a Sermon, unto all the Congregation. God is ſpecially preſent in Heaven, and at a Sermon: Do you believe it? Then ſhow that Faith of yours: Shew it to your God, and to your Conſcience, by holy Thoughts and holy Affections: Yea, and ſhew it to all the Church by your well-compoſed Countenances, and becoming Geſtures. Your Bodies are God's as well as your Souls: If you do not glorify him with both, you glorify him with neither. God lays no hard Impoſitions on Aged, Sickly, Weak Bodies: But he requites others to give him reverent Poſtures. Heads unneceſſarily covered in Hearing, are ſinfully covered, and ſcandalouſly. Gadding Eyes are impudent Publiſhers of profane rambling Hearts; and of thoſe Fools, whereof one makes many. Put off your Shoes, and keep them off while you are on holy Ground: That is, be Reverent in Soul and Body. So honour God before all the People, and then he ſhall make it ſeen before all the People, how he honoureth and bleſſeth you. Irreverence at a Sermon, is a publick Call to God for Damnation: A conſtructive bidding God to damn you, where Hundreds may be VVitneſſes to it; and, without God's great Grace, be poiſoned by it. [There are who ſay, that all Diſſenters are irreverent in Worſhip: See you that they ſlander us not with a matter of Truth.]
Direct. VI. Honour the Preacher as a Man of God, and no more. God ſtiles a Miniſter by that Name; and God's Names be the moſt proper and inſtructive. A Miniſter is but a Man; do not therefore adore him as a God. Let him be ſo thy Miniſter, that Chriſt may ſtill be thy only ſupreme Shepherd and Biſhop. He is but a Man; expect therefore and bear with his Infirmities, and pray God for his Aſſiſtances to him. He is but a Man; therefore pin not thy Faith on his Sleeve, but exerciſe thy own Senſe, and beg the Guidance of God's holy Spirit. Yet nevertheleſs, he is a Man of God, remember: If not, do not hear him: If ſo, conſider while thou art hearing, he is one that hath received the Holy Ghost; he is one that Christ hath qualified and commiſſioned, under himſelf, to be a Saviour of thee, and of all that hear him. Wherefore do not deſpiſe him, as not adore him. Thou ſhalt profit by him, if thou heareſt him as he is, an Embaſſador of God, a Meſſenger of Christ, an Overſeer made by the Holy Ghoſt. But wo is thine, if thou followeſt him either as a God, or as a common Man. The Goſpel pronounceth no Bleſſing upon the Superſtitious, or upon the Profane.
Direct. VII. Project to retain as much as may be of what you hear. All along your hearing, deſign and do what you can for remembring. Say over to your ſelves the Doctrine many times: and, if you can, repeat to your ſelves all the Heads of the Diſcourſe: But lay faſt hold of the main Drift of every Sermon. However Nature, Sickneſs or Age may have incurably wounded your Memories, God is gracious, remember. He will accept an unfeigned Good-will for the very Deed. His Spirit ſhall be a never-failing Remembrancer, to ſuch as againſt their VVills, and againſt their Endeavours, be forgetful. He will not call them forgetful Hearers, that ſtrain and ſtrive, and do their beſt to be tenacious ones. But he will ſo call, and will curſe thoſe, who like not and liſt not to retain his Word, as well as to receive it. Hearers ſo wilfully dull, muſt look to remain among the Dead. As they are ſlothful, they are wicked Servants. And let them expect Chriſt's foretold Word, Depart ye Curſed. Heaven is no Hive for Drones. Ignorance is a Curſe; and if it be your Choice, it will as ſurely be your Deſtruction as your Option.