Advice to an Only Child, Chapter 28 – Chapter 29
CHAP. XXVIII. Of Hearing the Word Profitably.
VVHen the Word is Preached, do not ſtay at home, no not to read good Books. They are ſtrange Children, that when the Nurſe holds out the Breaſt, will cry out for the Sucking-Bottle. God is pleaſed to put forth his Spirit in the Preaching of the Word, more effectually than in the reading it. The ſame Milk is more Effectual and Nouriſhing, when it is taken warm immediately from the Breaſt, than when it hath been Milkt out, and ſtood a while, and when it can be had, you make no uſe of the Bottle or Spoon. Though a Printed Sermon be as good, as that which is heard from the Miniſters Mouth, yet it hath not pleaſed God ordinarily to work Converſion by Printed Sermons at ſuch times, when the Word might be heard Preached. Though Abana and Pharpar had as good water as Jordan, yet it would not heal Naamans Leproſie. That Honey taſts ſweeteſt, which is ſuckt immediately out of the Comb, and much better than that which is eaten out of a Diſh, and that Word is ſweeter to the Souls Pallat, which drops immediately from the Miniſters Mouth, and came directly from his Heart thither, than that which is read out of a Book. That which comes warm from the Heart of the Preacher, is moſt likely to go to the Heart of the Hearer. That perſon which will not go to hear the word Preached, but will rather ſtay at home to Read is like a ſullen Child, that will not eat his Meat, unleſs he himſelf may cut it. You may expect that God will give a Bleſſing to the endeavours of his Faithful, Laborious Miniſters. We uſe to feed our Nurſes well, that our Children may fare the better.
2. Mark the Doctrine, Deſign, and Drift of the Preacher all along, that you may underſtand the Sermon, and obſerve his Method, that you may remember it. For ſo it will be the more portable for the memory.
3. Go not to hear the word with a common frame of Heart, or with the ſame end, that you go to hear another kind of Diſcourſe: But go, that you may be made Holy, otherwiſe you go not to the Word, as a New-born Babe, with an Appetite to the Milk of it. You muſt come to theſe Golden Pipes, Zach. 4.2. that they may empty Golden Oyl into you, or they will do you no good. Canaan it ſelf, that flows with Milk and Honey, would be but a Deſert, a Hony-Comb without Honey, meer Wax, if Chriſt were not there. Therefore go to the Word, to find ſomething of Chriſt there, to get ſome influences from him, and not barely to hear a Man ſpeak, go to hear not ſo much that you may know more but that you may be affected more.
4. Hear the Word attentively and diligently, becauſe it is your Life, Deut. 32.46. The things ſpoken, do concern the Soul, and are moſt Momentous; how ſlightly and careleſly do multitudes of People hear the word Preached, as if it were a matter of ſmall concern? Which might juſtly cauſe God to take away the word from us; when the Mother ſees that the Child doth but play with the Breaſts, ſhe puts them up.
5. Labour to be affected with the word. I mean not with ſome elegant Expreſſions, or pleaſing Compariſons that are brought in a Sermon to tickle the fancy of a Delicate Hearer. If theſe only affect you, you get no good, but ſuck wind rather than Nouriſhment. The Bee lights not on the Roſe, which hath the freſheſt Colour, and ſweeteſt Smell, but on the Thyme, which is an Herb of little beauty. A Devout Soul reſts not on Truths curiouſly deckt with Eloquence, but upon plain naked Truths, to fetch Honey from. It likes the moſt ſaving, weighty and powerful Truths, the Spiritualneſs of the matter, the Holineſs of Soul-Searching Doctrines, ſuch Doctrines as beat down Luſt and Corruption. But a formaliſt is only delighted with the Hiſtory, the Elegance of Language, the quaint Notions, or the Rational Evidence of the Diſcourſe, and ſo reſts in the outward ſhell, and taſts not the Kernell. If theſe things only do affect you in hearing, you did never yet really taſt the goodneſs of Sermon-Milk, or the ſweetneſs and pretiouſneſs of Chriſt in a Sermon, which if once you had taſted, how would your Heart be affected and raviſht with it? It's only the taſting of the Hony-Comb, that makes one affected with it, and to long after more.
6. Ponder upon what you hear, lay it up in your Heart, ſo as to retain it. Thus did Mary by Chriſts ſayings, ſhe kept them all, and pondered them in her Heart, Luke 2.19. The word is a Jewel, lock it up in the Cabinet of your Heart. It's pondering on the word in the Heart, that doth make it Nouriſhment to you by Digeſting of it, and turning it into the Blood and Spirits of Holineſs. This is the Squeezing of the Hony-Comb of the word into the Heart, which makes it yield abundant ſtore of refreſhing ſweetneſs. Yea, and preſſeth it ſo, that it ſlides down deep into the Heart, ſo as it is made to abide there. When the Miniſter hath laid on a healing plaiſter, Meditation binds it faſt on, makes it ſtick, and abide, which otherwiſe would rub off again preſently, without doing any good, it faſtens on our Hearts the truths which we have heard.
7. If you would profit by the word preached, then pray for the Miniſter before you go to Church. Col. 4.3. Eph 6 19. Pray to God to direct him to ſpeak a word in Seaſon to you, that might be ſuitable to your Condition, and work upon your Heart. I am perſwaded that one reaſon why People reap no more benefit by the word, is becauſe they do not before pray for the Miniſter, or for a Bleſſing on the word, that he ſhall preach to them. Conſider that thus praying for him, you pray for your ſelf, if the Mother have a full Breaſt, it is the benefit of the Child. St. Auſtin praiſed God for furniſhing his Nurſe with Milk, when he had periſhed without it. O pray to God conſtantly before you go to Church, that he would enable the Miniſter to do the work of a Spiritual Nurſe well, and then you will find that you will have matter to praiſe God for the good, that you ſhall reap after by his Church Nurſery.
8. When you come home, retire your ſelf a little, and repeat over to your ſelf, the moſt practical truths which you have heard, make Application of them to your ſelf, and preſs them home upon your own Heart. Think not how the Doctrine you have heard, doth fit others, this hinders your profiting by the word, but think how it fits your ſelf.
CHAP. XXIX. Of Receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper.
1. NEglect no opportunity of being a gueſt at this Sacred Feaſt of the Lords Supper, and take care that in all your Approaches to it, you come worthily. This would be a prime and moſt Soveraign means to your living well, which is the deſign of all the Advice that I have given you. O what Excellent and Heavenly Lives did the Primitive Chriſtians lead, while they received the Sacrament every day, or every Lords Day? They were thereby inflamed with ſuch Zeal and Holy Courage, that they were ſaid to come from the Sacrament, like Lyons breathing fire, and hence in Cyprians time, they had it every day, that they might be the more animated to lay out their Blood for Chriſt. This Sacrament, ſaith Chryſoſtom, is for the Noble Eagles that would have their thoughts on high; it helps Souls mightily to mount up with wings as Eagles, to run and not be weary, to fly ſwiftly through difficulties and duties, and to make them aſcend up in a fiery Chariot of Love. Chriſtians may hereby be brought unto, and preſerved in a Holy Galantry of Spirit, and briskneſs and livelineſs in well doing, and to move as in the Chariots of Aminadab, with nimble vigor. The Elixir of Chriſts Blood in the Sacrament, will make the believer full of Life and Spirits. Hereby a Chriſtian (ſaith Bernard) is made more meek to be reproved, more patient to labour, more fervent to love, more ready to obey, and more Devout to give God thanks. In a word, your Heart by this feaſt of fat things, and refined Wines, will be more ſtrengthned to the practice of all Holy Virtues, to the maſtery of all Corruptions, and to the Conqueſt of all Temptations, and ſupport to go on in its work and way, without ſinking under its burthen.
2. Beſides how could you think that you live well, if you ſhould live in the neglect or omiſſion of ſo great a Duty as this of Receiving the Sacrament, which was the Requeſt and Legacy of your dying Saviour, with ſtrict Command appendant and annext thereunto, Do thus in Remembrance of me? Would not that be a living in Rebellion againſt his Law, a ſlighting of his Body and Blood, while you have a Command to Communicate therein? Unpreparedneſs may be your Sin, but cannot be a warrantable plea for abſtaining.
3. Now that you may ſo make your Addreſſes hereunto, as to come worthily, be careful of theſe four following particulars.
1. To know and underſtand the Nature and Ends of this Feaſt.
2. To be ſuch a Perſon as the Maſter of the Feaſt would have his gueſts to be.
3. To make your ſelf ready before you come to it.
4. To behave your ſelf ſo at it, as becomes a gueſt at that Royal Banquet.