The Middle Things, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
SECT. 1. Of the neceſsity of preparation to the Hearing of the Word.
HItherto of Duties in reference to our Spiritual Ethicks and Oeconomicks: Now follow our Divine Politicks; viz. ſuch Duties as have reference to publike or Church Aſſemblies; and they are either
Hearing the Word Preached.
Receiving the Sacraments.
1. For our right, holy and conſcionable importment in and about the Hearing of the Word, we muſt look to
Our preparation before we hear.
Our carriage in hearing.
Our behavior afterwards.
1. For preparation, it is of ſuch neceſſity, that the want and neglect of it, is the cauſe that the word to many becomes the ſavor of death unto death; and to ſome profeſſors, even of good hearts and affections, but a dead letter, without any life or power in it. Is it not a general complaint of the beſt Chriſtians, that they are ordinarily poſſeſſed with much deadneſs of heart, and dulneſs of ſpirit at theſe holy exerciſes? Alas, their zeal and fervency which ſhould be quickned and inflamed at every Sermon, is dull and benumb'd with ſenſleſneſs and ſatiety; they do not tremble at divine Comminations, and denouncements of Gods Judgements againſt ſin; they are not ſo refreſhed with the gracious Promiſes of life and ſalvation, as they ought to be; they do not enjoy and reap the thouſandth part of that delight, comfort and benefit as they well might, by the Miniſtery of the Word; they do not with that chearfulneſs receive, with that ſweetneſs taſte or reliſh, with that life and vigour digeſt the food of life; they do not ſo clearly ſee and diſcern the infinite beauty of the ſacred Majeſty repreſented unto them, or that glorious grace, ſhining unto them in the face of Chriſt Jeſus; their hand of faith doth not with that feeling and faſtneſs lay hold upon, and claſp about the rich treaſures revealed in the Goſpel: and why? becauſe their hearts are not purged and prepared for hearing. This duty then is of great neceſſity, and ſpecial uſe, for all thoſe which look for benefit or bleſſing by the preaching of the word: Take heed how ye hear (ſaith Chriſt;Luke 8.18.) and Take heed to thy foot (ſaith the Preacher) when thou goeſt to the houſe of God; and be more ready to hear, then to offer the ſacrifice of fools, Eccles. 5.1.for they conſider not that they do evil.
But underſtand we aright: God would not have us make an Idol of preparation, as if therefore God draws nigh to us, becauſe we are prepared; No, no: though preparation in ordinary courſe is a means to finde God, yet doth God ſometimes hide himſelf when his people are prepared? he would have us know, that if he be found of us at all, it is of meer mercy; he is not bound in Juſtice (ſetting aſide his Promiſe) to reward this preparation: it's but our duty, and he can eſpy in it matter enough of diſpleaſure, but ordinarily the godly finde God according to their preparation; and hereto the current of the Scripture bears witneſs, They that ſeek the Lord, ſhall praiſe him: Pſal. 22.26. Pſal. 24 7.Open your gates, and the King of glory ſhall come in: — If any man open to me, I will come in to him: Rev. 3.20.— If thou prepare thine heart, and ſtretch out thy hands towards him, Iob 11.13, 14, 15.—then ſhalt thou lift up thy face without ſpot.
SECT. 2. Of the maner of preparation to hear the Word.
THe maner of this preparation conſiſts in theſe particulars: 1. In Prayer. 2. In Meditation. 3. In Examination. 4. In the purging or cleanſing our hearts. 5. In a right diſpoſition of our hearts.
1. In Prayer: If thou cryeſt after knowledge, and liftest up thy voyce for underſtanding; Prov. 2.3, 5.— then ſhalt thou underſtand the fear of the Lord, and finde out the knowledge of God. Chriſt bids us pray for our daily bread, and a bleſſing upon it; much more ſhould we pray for a bleſſing upon our Spiritual food,Deut. 8.3. Mat. 4 4. for Man doth not live by bread onelyonly, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord, doth man live. Now the particulars we are to pray for, are theſe:
1. For the Miniſter, that God would open unto him a door of utterance, Col. 4.3, 4.to ſpeak the myſteries of Chriſt; — and that he may make it manifeſt as he ought to ſpeak. Direct him, Lord (ſhould every ſoul ſay) that he may ſpeak fitly to me, ſomewhat for my underſtanding, ſomewhat for my affections, ſomewhat to help me againſt ſuch or ſuch a temptation.
2. For the Congregation, that Chriſt may ride with triumph in the midſt of them, that ſome may be converted, others may be confirmed and ſtrengthned in their moſt holy faith.
3. For our ſelves, that through Gods aſſiſtance we may hear profitably, and be bleſſed in the hearing; that God would help us in our Preparation, Meditation, Examination, in the purging of our hearts, and putting them into a right diſpoſition and frame:Pſal. 119.18. Open thou mine eyes (ſaid David) that I may ſee the wonderful things contained in thy law.
Pſal. 119.59.2. In Meditation: I thought on my ways (ſaid David) and turned my feet unto thy teſtimonies; he firſt looked over his own ways, before he would ſet his feet into Gods ways.— Now the matter of our Meditation is, 1. Who we are, to hear Gods Word: Alas, poor handfuls of duſt and aſhes, baſe and vile; thus Abraham and Job in their converſes with God confeſs: and this conſideration will ſtir-up our humility and repentance in us. 2. Into whoſe preſence we come: Is it not into the preſence of an high, and holy, and powerful God? Is it not the Lord, a perſon both of greateſt place, and ſupreme authority? This conſideration will further our reverence and reſpect of God. When Iobs eye did ſee God, Iob 4….16.he abhorred himſelf in dust and aſhes. 3. By whoſe aſſiſtance we come; we have no ſtrength of our own to do any good, nor is there any thing in us, that can procure favor and acceptance with God, we muſt therefore by faith depend upon Chriſt for aſſiſtance and acceptance: This conſideration will ſtir up our humility and faith. 4. With what affections we come; if we come to purpoſe, we muſt come with inward Spiritual affections, with willingneſs, chearfulneſs, reverence, repentance, love, humility and faith. 5. To what end we come; whether it be to Gods glory, and our own ſouls good.
3. In Examination, let us ſearch and try our ways:Lam. 3 40.— Commune with your own hearts; Pſal. 4.4, 5.— and then offer to God the ſacrifice of righteouſneſs.— Now the matter of Examination is, 1. The general frame and temper of our hearts, whether they be in a better or worſe temper then formerly. 2. The ſpecial occaſions, for which our ſouls at ſuch or ſuch a time deſire to meet God: It is the complaint of ſome, I am weak in knowledge; of others, I want ſuch and ſuch graces; of others, I am like to encounter ſuch and ſuch temptations: of all theſe we are to examine our ſelves, that we may accordingly receive ſupply. 3. Our ſins, that we might have them ſlain by the ſword of the Spirit in the Miniſtery of the Word. 4. Our graces, that we may have them ſtrengthned and nouriſhed by the Spiritual food of our ſouls. But the handling of theſe at large, I ſhall leave to the Receiving of the Lords Supper.
4. In the purging or cleanſing of our hearts, 1. From ſin; Lay apart all filthineſs and ſuperfluity of naughtineſs, Iames 1.21.and receive with meekneſs the ingrafted word, which is able to ſave your ſouls: with which agrees that parallel place, Wherefore putting away all malice, as new born babes deſire the ſincere milk of the word; 1 Pet 2.1, 2.as it is with the body, when the ſtomack is foul and clogged with bad humors, we ſhould firſt purge it, before we feed it, otherwiſe whatſoever we eat, will but nouriſh and increaſe the corrupt humors: ſo when the ſoul is ſtuffed or clogged with ſin, whatſoever is heard in the Miniſtery of the word, will but be abuſed by it, and wreſted to the deſtruction of it. 2. From worldly cares and thoughts, which may draw away the heart: The cares of the world (ſaith Chriſt) do choak the ſeed of the word. Mat. 13.22.When Abraham went up to the Mount to ſacrifice, he left his ſervants in the valley; and when we go up to the Mount where God appears, we ſhould leave all our ſervile affections, and worldly thoughts in the valley; or if any enter, we ſhould do by them as Abraham did by the birds that would have eaten up his ſacrifice, chaſe them away. It is ſaid, that in the Temple, though there was much fleſh for ſacrifice, yet there was not one flie appeared ſtirring. O that it might be ſo with us, that not one thought might ariſe upon our hearts, unſuitable to the place or work at hand: But this is the miſery, we have not Spiritual hearts in temporal imployments, and therefore we have carnal hearts in ſpiritual imployments, the leſs of the Sabbath in the week, the more of the week we finde in the Sabbath.
5. In a right diſpoſition in our hearts: We muſt have hearts ſeaſoned, 1. With ſoftneſs, for if the heart be not ſoft and flexible, the power of the Word will not make any print or deep impreſſion upon it; all holy admonitions, reproofs and inſtructions will be but as arrows ſhot againſt a ſtone wall. 2. With humility, Pſal. 25.9.For them that be meek will he guide in judgement, and teach the humble his way: The proud heart is ſo ſwelled with the wind of vanity and vain-glory, of ſelf-love and over-weening conceit, that there is left no room in it for the precious treaſures of ſaving Grace to enter. 3. With honeſty, For honeſt hearts are the profitable and fruitful hearers, Luke 8.15.reſembled by the good ground; hearts that have no maner of purpoſe to live and continue in any one known ſin; hearts ready and reſolved to ſerve and pleaſe God in all the ways of his Commandments, and that ſincerely and continually. 4. With faith, for this makes the Word ſink and ſoak into the ſoul with power and profit. The old Jews heard the Word, Heb. 4.2.but it profited them not, becauſe it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it: Faith animates and inſpires the promiſes of the Goſpel, with ſuch a ſoveraign ſweetneſs, that they are able to raiſe us from the depth of fears, yea, to put us into a Paradice of ſpiritual pleaſures, and poſſeſſion of Heaven, as it were already. 5. With teachableneſs: Sacrifice and burnt offerings thou wouldſt not (ſaith David) but mine ears haſt thou prepared; Pſal. 40.6.q.d. Thou haſt boared new ears in my heart, that I can now reverently attend unto, rightly conceive, and with an holy greedineſs devour (as it were) the myſteries of Grace.
6. With openneſs, or readineſs to receive every truth that God ſhall teach us: Acts 17.11.It is ſaid of the Bereans, That they received the Word with all readineſs of minde: When there is ſuch an holy diſpoſition in us, as to receive both in judgement and practice whatſoever God ſhall reveal to us out of his holy Word, this is a precious diſpoſition.
Thus much of preparation, before we hear: what follows, but that we open our hearts and hands? Surely the windows of heaven will be ſet wide open, that all maner of ſpiritual comforts, all the bleſſings of peace and happineſs, may in abundance be ſhowered down upon us; the rich treaſury of everlaſting glory and mortality, ſhall be now unlocked to us, and we may row and tumble our ſelves amidſt the mountains of heavenly pearls, and golden pleaſures, joys that no heart can comprehend, but that which is weaned from all worldly pleaſures, and ſet apart, and ſanctified for all holy ſervices and buſineſs of Heaven.
SECT. 3. The duties of the ſoul in hearing the Word.
OUr Duties in hearing, conſiſts in theſe particulars:—
1. That we ſet our ſelves in Gods preſence whiles we are hearing the Word, and that we conſider it is God we have to deal withal in this buſineſs, and not man, and that it is Gods Word; and not mans: This was the great commendation of the Theſſalonians, That they received the Word as the Word of God; 1 Theſſ 2.13. Luke 10.16.and it is the expreſs ſaying of our Savior, He that heareth you, heareth me: The Lord himſelf is preſent in a ſpecial maner, where his Word is preached; Surely the Lord is in that place, Gen. 28.16.as Jacob ſaid of Bethel: Now this apprehenſion of Gods preſence in the aſſemblies of his people, will preſerve our hearts from roving and wandring thoughts: I hate vain thoughts, Pſal. 119.113but thy Law do I love; yea, it will keep us in that awful and reverent diſpoſition that is meet for the majeſty of Heaven.
2. That we diligently attend to that we hear,Luke 19 48. thus all the people were very attentive to hear Chriſt; or (as it is in the Original) They hanged upon him to hear him; they ſo carried themſelves, as if their ears and mindes had been tyed to his very tongue: Look as a Priſoner will hearken to the ſentence of a Prince, every word he ſpeaks being life or death; or as the ſervants of Benhadad, when they were in their enemies power, obſerved diligently if any word of comfort would come from the King of Iſrael, and they did haſtily catch at it; ſo ſhould we with all diligence and attention hearken to the good word of God.
3. That we labor to underſtand what we hear; to this purpoſe, Chriſt called to the multitude and ſaid, Matth. 15 10.Hear and underſtand: Now the means to underſtand the Word are theſe: 1. Come to the Word with a willing minde to learn; though the Eunuch understood not what he read, yet becauſe he had a minde to learn, the Lord provided for him, and we know what a comfortable ſucceſs Philips ſermon had with him: Men love to teach willing Schollars, ſo doth God when we come with willing and ready mindes to be taught of him. 2. Be well acquainted with the Grounds and Principles of Chriſtianity; it is the want of this that makes men dull in underſtanding; they that are not firſt well nouriſhed with milk, will not be fit to receive and digeſt ſtronger meat; if the foundation be not well laid, it is in vain to build. 3. Walk according to the light revealed; A good underſtanding have all they that do his Commandments: Pſal. 111.10.If we imploy well the little knowledge we have, there is a promiſe to give us more.
4. That we hear the Word with all ſpiritual ſubjection, as that Word which hath power to command the ſoul and conſcience: God to this purpoſe looks into a Congregation, to ſee what hearts will yield to his Word; the Spirit of God hovers over the Congregation, and here it waits, and there it expects, to this man it comes, and knocks at the door of his heart, to that man and the other man it goes, ſaying, Open your hearts, you everlaſting doors, that the King of Glory may come in: Surely now ſhould we ſay, Theſe are Gods teſtimonies, this is the Word the Miniſter of God ſpeaks to me in Gods ſtead, I muſt give account of it, and therefore I will ſubmit my ſelf to it.
5. That we hear the Word, with application of it to our own hearts and lives;Iob 5.27. Hear this, and know it for thy ſelf: ſo did Chriſts Diſciples when our Savior told them, that one of them ſhould betray him,Mat. 26.21, 22. They were exceeding ſorrowful, and began every one of them to ſay, Lord, is it I? as no plaiſter can do the Patient any good, unleſs it be applied; and as no meat is able to do us good, unleſs it be eaten and digeſted, no more can the Word preached profit us, unleſs it be mixed with faith, one principal work whereof is to apply thoſe things that are delivered in the Word, and this is the meaning of the Prophet, Hearken diligently unto me, Iſa. 55.2.and eat ye that which is good.
6. That in hearing, we look to our affections, that they be rightly exerciſed: Thus Joſiah his heart is ſaid to melt at the reading of the Law: 2 Chro. 34.27Thus the Jews at Peters Sermon were pricked in their hearts, and ſaid, Acts 2.37.Men and brethren what ſhall we do? Thus the hearts of the two Diſciples that went to Emmaus, burned within them, when Christ opened to them the Scriptures: Luke 24.32.Now the means to ſtir up theſe affections, are, 1. A belief of the Word, as that which is undoubtedly true: God cannot lye, Tit. 1.2. Nor will he change his minde, Numb. 23.19. 2. A love of the Word, for it is purity, perfection, uſefulneſs, and wonderful benefits to us. 3. An appropriation of the Word unto our ſelves, for that which affects us, is that which moſt nearly concerns us; without this means of quickning our hearts, they remain dead and ſenſleſs, and the Word becomes utterly unprofitable. 4. A conſideration of the nature of the Word, which ever requires and calls for ſuitable hearts and affections; it is a pure Word, Pſal. 119.140and therefore we muſt cleanſe and purifie our hearts for the receiving of it; it is ſpiritual and heavenly, Rom. 7 14. Iam…s 3.17.and therefore we muſt labor for ſpiritual and heavenly mindes to entertain it; it is a word of power and authority, the very voice of Chriſt, and therefore our hearts muſt ſubmit and ſtoop to receive it with meekneſs and trembling of heart: It is a ſure word, 2 Pet. 1.19. A faithful word, Tit. 1.9. A viſion that will not lye, Iames 1.21. Iſa. 66.2.Heb. 2.3. and therefore we muſt embrace it with faithful and believing hearts, without which the Word cannot profit us at all, Heb. 4.2.
7. That above all other affections, we make ſure to delight in the Word; it is ſaid of Chriſts hearers,Mark 12 37. that they heard him gladly, and it is noted for an eſpecial ſign of Grace to hear the Word with delight: Pſal. 119.162I rejoyced at thy Word (ſaid David) as one that findeth great ſpoils.
Queſt. 1 But whether may not ungenerate men have a delight in Gods Ordinances?
Anſw. I anſwer, 1. Moſt of them have no delight at all in Gods Ordinances: To whom ſhall I ſpeak and give warning, Ier. 6.10.that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumciſed, and they cannot hearken; behold, the Word of the Lord is to them a reproach, they have no delight in it; and if this be our caſe, if we can hear ſweet Goſpel-preaching, the free offer of Jeſus Chriſt, with all his glories and excellencies, to poor ſinners, to vile, loſt, undone ſouls, and are no whit taken therewith; wo to our ſouls, can we ſleep away ſuch a ſermon? can we ſlight or neglect ſuch Goſpel-offers, nay, do we attend them coldly? have we not heart-riſings? no ſtirrings and workings? no longings and deſires? and thus we paſs Sermon after Sermon, and Sabbath after Sabbath: O then we are wholly dead unto the life of grace, Jeſus Chriſt as yet hath not given us his true light, no work of Converſion doth at all appear in us: The end which Jeſus Chriſt had in ſending out Preachers, was to diſcover his love to poor periſhing ſinners, that ſo they might be affected with him, and long after him, and if we have no ſuch reliſh, our condition is ſad.
2. Some unregenerate men may have ſome delight in the word:Iſa. 58.2. They ſeek me daily (ſaid God) and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteouſneſs, and forſook not the Ordinances of their God: they ask of me the Ordinances of Juſtice, they take delight in approaching to God. Mat. 13.20. Mark 6.20.The ſecond ground received the word with joy, and Herod heard Iohn Baptiſt gladly. Ungodly men may delight in Gods word, as in theſe caſes:—
1. When the Ordinances are a leading way unto ſome end that ſuits with corrupt nature: Thus Jehu ſhewed abundance of zeal in deſtroying the houſe of Ahab, and the Idolatry of Baal, that thereby he might eſtabliſh the kingdom to his Poſterity, and get himſelf a great name;2 King. 10.16 Come with me, and ſee my zeal for the Lord: he was ſo full of vain-glory, that he could not hold in, but was forced to burſt out.
2. When the maner of diſpenſation of the Ordinances doth ſuit with their diſpoſition: An underſtanding judicious man may love preaching that is judicious and underſtanding; A man of meekneſs, may delight in a Sermon of Peace, peace; a temperate man may like a Sermon that is tart and bitter againſt drunkenneſs, uncleanneſs; the liberal man may delight in ſevere preaching againſt covetouſneſs; as a man muſically affected, may delight in ſinging of Pſalms, becauſe theſe things ſuit with their diſpoſitions: The gifts of Miniſters may have an affecting pleaſingneſs; they may expreſs their mindes in ſuch fit terms, or ſo pathetically, or they may have ſuch a grace in utterance, as may affect:Ezek. 33.32. Lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely ſong, of one that hath a pleaſant voyce, and can play well on an inſtrument; for they hear thy words, but do them not.
3. When there is a common work of the Spirit of God upon them for a time:Heb. 6 4, 5. They may taſte of the heavenly gifts, and be made partakers of the holy Ghoſt; they may taſte the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and yet fall away; but this work is rather a work upon them, then in them, a forced work, not natural, rather a flaſh, then a fire of affection; the affections are lifted up, they cannot be altered and changed, acted onelyonly by an outward principle; the experience that the Spirit hath forcibly and powerfully wrought on them, not by an outward and inward principle alſo, both by the Spirit of God, and ſuitableneſs of affection to that which is good: it was otherwiſe with David, I delight to do thy will, O God; yea, Pſal. 40.8. Rom. 7.22.thy law is within my heart: and otherwiſe with Paul, I delight in the law of God after the inward man; till the law of God be within us, we cannot from within taſte the ſweetneſs of Gods Ordinances: In true and ſolid delight, there muſt be a ſuitableneſs betwixt the heart and the Ordinances; therefore ſaith the wiſe man, It is joy to the juſt to do judgement: Prov. 21.15.The Juſtice that is in him, is ſuitable to the Judgement to be done by him, and this makes the joy. Hence it follows, that ſo much grace, ſo much delight: were we more holy, ſpiritual, heavenly, as the Ordinances are, we ſhould be more affected therewith. Thus it is not in the wicked, they have no ſuch delight.
Queſt. 2 Why is the word ſo brim-full of comfort to the dear Saints of God?
Anſ. Becauſe in the word they have communion with God, who is the God of all Conſolation; and with the Spirit of God, who is called the Comforter: Now as a man that walks amongſt Perfumes, muſt needs ſmell of the Perfume, ſo they that converſe with the God of all joy, muſt needs be filled with all joy; and therefore David calls God his exceeding joy. Pſal. 43.4.The Saints go to the word, as one that goes to hear news of a friend; they look upon the Ordinances, as that whereby they have to do with God, and therefore it is precious and ſweet to them. No wonder, can a man who is cold come to the fire and not be warmed? Can he that is in the dark come into the open ayr and not be inlightned? God is the ſpring of all comfort, and therefore ſure their hearts muſt needs be comforted, that meet with God in the Ordinances; on the contrary, if they meet not with God, if they miſs of their communion with the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, then is comfort afar off: But we muſt not argue againſt a general truth, from a particular temptation. The Poſition will ſtand, That Gods word is brim-full of comfort to Gods people, though every experiment comes not up to it.
SECT. 4. The Duties required after hearing.
THe Duties required after hearing the word, are theſe:—
1. That we carefully remember, and keep that which we have heard:Prov. 4.4, 21. My ſon, let thine heart retain my words,—keep them in the midst of thine heart. As a man that hath a Jewel will be careful to lock it up in his ſafeſt Cheſt, ſo ſhould we keep the word in our hearts, in the midſt of our hearts. Many hear the word deſirouſly, but (as we ſay) it goes in at one ear, and out at the other, it ſtays not for any after-uſe, but a little preſent admiration: others hear, and the word ſmites them a little on their Conſciences, and wounds them, and one would think ſome good thing would be wrought on them, but they go away, and the motion dyes; like unto mettals which are ſoft and plyable, whileſt they are in the fire, but ſhortly after they become harder then before.Heb. 2.1. Take earneſt heed to the things which we have heard, leſt at any time we ſhould let them ſlip; or let them run out as a leaking veſſel, for ſo the Original bears it.
2. That we meditate, and ſeriouſly think of that we have heard:1 Tim. 4.15. Meditate upon theſe things (ſaid Paul to Timothy) give thy ſelf wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all: Thus Mary pondred the words of the Angel in her heart, Luke 2.19. Pſal. 119.97.and David meditated all the day on Gods law: Meditation is as the bellows of the ſoul, that doth kindle and inflame holy affections: Meditation is of a ſeperating and ſetling nature, it ſeperates heavenly thoughts from earthly, for it often goes over with thoughts, and at laſt ſettles the heart on ſuch thoughts as theſe, O this is the word of God, this is the law, the proclamation of the great King, whereby I muſt be judged: This may be the laſt Sermon that ever I ſhall hear whiles I live, ſuch a gale of Gods Spirit may never be offered to me again: I will be wiſe therefore, and give way to the Spirit of God, I will not beat it back again, but yield to the bleſſed motions of Gods Spirit, that this day have been made.
3. That we repeat what we have heard, and confer of it, and examine the Scriptures about the truth of it:Pſa. 119.172. My tongue (ſaith David) ſhall ſpeak of thy word, for all thy Commandments are righteouſneſs: and,Deut. 11.18, 19. You ſhall lay up theſe my words in your hearts (ſaith God) and you ſhall teach them your children, ſpeaking of them when thou ſitteſt in thy houſe. This is it for which the noble Bereans are commended to us,Act. 17.11, 12 They ſearched the Scriptures daily, concerning the things that were delivered by Paul: A man that comes into a pleaſant garden, will not content himſelf with the preſent ſcent onelyonly, but will carry ſome of the flowers away with him: So after we have been in the Garden of ſpices, and have felt the ſavor of Chriſts oyntments in Church-Aſſemblies, let us take ſome of the flowers away with us, and ſmell of them again and again. Repeating, conferring, examining the word, is as the pounding of ſpices, that will make them ſmell more.
4. That we put in practice whatſoever we hear:Iames 1.22. Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers onelyonly, deceiving your own ſouls; we muſt do it, we muſt bring it nearer to us, that it may be an ingrafted word in our underſtanding and affections, that it may be written in our ſouls, and in the tables of our hearts; that it may be incorporated and naturalized into our inward man, that ſo we may ſpeak and think, and do nothing but that which is divine: and in doing, obſerve we this frame of Spirit, to be quick and ſpeedy about it: I made haſte, Pſal. 119.60.and prolonged not the time to keep thy commandments; This ſpeedy, this immediate putting of the word into practice, is much advantage to the hearer; the affections of the heart are then lively and quick, which with delays dye and decay ſuddenly.
5. That (when the word is heard, and we are returned home) that we pray again for a bleſſing on that we have heard, and as our memories will bear, let us turn the word into prayer, eſpecially the heads or principal parts of it: Prayer muſt be the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and ending of this Spiritual duty; we muſt pray in preparation, and pray in concluſion, and pray always. And thus much concerning our Duties before, in,Luke 21.36. and after the Hearing the Word.