The Mortified Christian, Sermon
A Sermon Preached by Mr. Christopher Love at Anne Aldersgate, being by way of preparation for the Morning Exercise, continuing there for a monethmonth.
LUKE 8.18. The beginning of the verse. Take heed therefore, how you hear, &c.
BEloved, I intend to spend this hour only as a preparation Sermon to the Morning Exercise that is for a monethmonth to continue in this place.
It shall be my care and endevour, to provide such able and godly men to exercise every morning, as may be acceptable to you, and let it be your care to bring along with you hearts sutable to the work. I shall take care what you hear, it is your work to take heed how you hear.
Take heed therefore how you hear.
We are to take heed not only what, and whom we hear, but also how we hear.
In the words there are these two parts:
(1) A serious caution given by Christ, Take heed how you hear.
(2) A reason of this Caution expressed in this word therefore, Take heed therefore how you hear.
Wherefore?
Answ. Because there is nothing hid that shall not be revealed: as we see your faces, so Christ sees your hearts, and observes all the deviations and miscarriages thereof, in your approaches to him, and waiting upon him, in the duties of his service; Take heed therefore how you hear.
(1) From the Caution that Christ here gives, Obser. 1 we may observe, That Christians must take heed not only of the person whom, and the matter what they hear, but also of the manner how they hear the word of God.
(2) From the reason of the caution observe further; Obser. 2 That the confideration of the all-seeing eye of God, who sees and takes notice of your behaviour in your addresses to him, should incite and provoke you to take heed of the manner how you do hear the word of God. The allseeing Eye of God should be a motive to restrain us from the least secret sin: as Job saies, I made a covenant with my eyes, why then should I think upon a maid? for doth not the Lord see all my waies, and count all my steps?
But I shall not stand upon these things, but shall only speak something to you, practically from the words: and the Doctrine I shall insist upon, shall be the very words of my Text, and then there will be no need of multiplying any more places for the proof of it.
That Christians ought to take heed how or in what manner they hear the Word of God. Doct.
The Reasons I shall lay down for the proof of this Doctrine, shall be these five, being no other then what are found in this parable. For this advice or counsell here given by Christ, is but a conclusion to a precedent parable of the four sorts of hearers; wherein to winde up all, our Saviour gives this caution, that we should take heed how we hear: from this parable we shall draw these six Reasons to enforce this Doctrine:
(1) Because the most sort of hearers in the world do hear amisse, Reas. 1 and therefore you should take heed how we hear. There is but one sort in 4. that hear the word of God aright, and if a great many, nay the most of men miscarry in hearing of the word, therefore let us take heed.
(2) Another Reason in the parable is Reas. 2 this, because the devill doth take a great deal of heed to interrupt you in hearing, and therefore you should take heed how you hear, in the 12. verse of this chapter, when the seed was sowen, the envious man came and took away the word out of their hearts, lest they should beleeve and be saved. Now is the Devill so carefull to interrupt and hinder the efficacious working of the word upon thy heart, and shall there be no care in thee to attend upon God without distraction when you come into his presence? The Devill serves us in hearing the word of God, Job 2.1.as he did the children of Job; It is said, that when they came before the Lord, Satan came in the midst of them; so when we come into the presence of God to hear his Word, the Devill stands at our right hand to divert and distract our thoughts from attending upon it. In Gen. 15.11. it is said, when Abraham was offering up a sacrifice to God, that the fowles of the aire came down and picht upon it: which notes (saies Diedate) the frequent disturbances, the people of God meet withall from Satan, to distract and interrupt them in the duties and services they are about. Take heed therefore how you hear.
(3) You must take heed how you hear, Reas. 3 because if you do not, the word will not only be ineffectuall to you, but do you a great deal of hurt. This you have laid down in the 16. vers. No man (saies Christ) when he hath lighted a candle covereth it with a vessell, &c. this Text is not referred to the preachers of the Word, it is not meant of their light; but it is referred to the hearers of the Word; Now, saies Christ, the light which they have must not be hid under a vessell, or under a bed, &c. From whence one well observes; That if a light or a candle be put under a bed, not only the room where it is wants light, but the bed and the man that lies in it is in danger of burning. So that man that lives under the means of grace, and under the dispensations of the Word, and takes no care how he hears it, he is like a man that puts a candle under his bed, and is in as great danger of hell fire, as the other to be burned by a temporall fire.
(4) Take heed how you hear, Reas. 4 because the great Gods all-seeing, and heart-searching eye does take notice of the carriages of your hearts, and of the behaviour of your spirits, while you are a hearing. If the Apostle in 1 Cor. 11.10. makes that an argument why the Corinthian women should wear a vail in token of their subjection to their Husbands, foreign.because of the Angels, saies he, For this cause ought the woman to have power over her head, because of the Angels; then much more ought we to take heed how we hear, not only because the Angels of heaven are present in the assemblies of the Saints, when they come to worship God, but because the God of the Angels takes notice of the frame of your hearts, and of the deportment of your spirits when you are before him. This reason you have laid down in the 17. verse of this chapter, for nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, neither any thing hid that shall not be made known.
(5) Another Reason is, Reas. 5 because God dispenseth out his blessings answerable to the conscientious care that we expresse in hearing his Word, and this is laid down in the words of the Text, Take heed how you hear, for whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away, even that which he seemeth to have, if a man comes formally and customarily to hear the Word of God, even that which he seemeth to get by it shall be taken away from him, and therefore take heed how you hear.
I shall now speak something practically by way of Use, to what hath been said and so conclude; and that I may set home this counsell, that our Saviour here gives us, I shall lay down to you these 7. particular directions.
(1) Take heed how you hear, take heed that you hear the word of God preparedly, as the Preacher must take care to find out acceptable words, so the people should labour to bring acceptable affections to the work. In the Sanctuary there was on one side a Table of Shewbread, betokening the tribes of Israel; and a Candlestick on the other side, to note the service of God, and the Incense in the middle which is prayer, to note that when we come to the service of God, we should hear with all attention and pray with affection.
2. Hear the word not only preparedly but attentively too, as those did in Act. 8.6. foreign.it is said the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, and so in the Nehem. 8.5, 6. when Ezra opened the book of the Law, and read in the sight of all the people, they all stood up, and when he blessed the Lord the great God, all the people answered Amen, amen, with lifting up their hands: And so in Luke 19.48. foreign. Pendebat, i. e. inhiabat.it is said that all the people were very attentive to hear Christ; and therefore those that hear the Word with gazing eyes, and wandering thoughts, and sleepy bodies, they cannot hear it attentively, but are to be reproved; and let them take heed that while they hear the Word so remisly and so sleepily, the Devill does not catch them napping: Let such hearers read the story of Eutychus, Act. 20.9. and tremble. And so likewise are they to be reproved that hear the Word with an unquiet gesture, walking from place to place: it is said in Neh. 8.7. that when Ezra read the book of the Law, all the people stood every man in his own place.
(3) Hear the Word of God retentively. Labour to keep in thy memory what thou hearest that thou mayest put in practise in thy life: for hearing is not meerly for hearing sake, but for practise sake. Thy heart should be as the Arke was; as that was a repository to keep the pot of Manna in, so this Manna the Word of God should be treasured up in thy heart. foreign.In Luke 8.15. the good hearer, hears the Word of God with an honest and good heart, and keeps it. So in Isa. 42.23. sayes the Prophet, Who amongst you will give ear to this? Who will bearken and hear for the time to come? Who will treasure up the Word for time to come, for after ages that the Word may have a continuall impression upon your hearts?
(4) Hear the Word understandingly. Christ called the multitude and bid them hear and understand. As the palat does tast and difference meats, so the ear should distinguish doctrines, as in Job 12.11. sayes Job, Does not the ear try words? and the mouth tast his meats? foreign,— foreign, &c.In Heb. 5.14. sayes the Apostle, Those that are of full age have their senses exercised, to discern both good and evil: and to know when the Word is soundly and practically preached; men should not be like a sponge under a Sermon, to suck in all they hear indifferently, but they must with understanding search the Scriptures to see whether those things be so or no which are delivered unto them. Mercer upon Job hath a good observation, that the originall word for an Ear signifies a paire of ballances: to note, that when we are hearing we should be weighing, we should not only use the touchstone to trie whether it be true or no, but also the ballance whether it be of weight or no. If men should weigh all the doctrines of our times in the ballance of the Sanctuary, how many would be found light?
(5) Hear the Word of God applicatively. If a Patient have never such excellent counsell given him, never so soveraign a Cordiall prescribed, if he do not apply it, it will do him no more good then if he had never known it. And beloved, there is not one amongst us but may apply to his own soul what he heares preached and delivered out of the Word; as suppose the most foul and enormous sin be reproved, why either I have been, or am, or may be guilty of that sin; or if the crime be such as neither I have, or do, or will commit, yet if God should leave me to my self, I may be guilty of it; therefore hear the Word applicatively, and say with David, I will hear what the Lord will say to me.
(6) Hear the Word of God reverentially. Because our God is a consuming fire, not only the wicked but the people of God likewise should look upon God with such apprehensions as these; many people represent God to themselves in such familiar notions, that it breeds a contempt of God in the conclusion, which we ought not to do, but rather consider that our God is a consuming fire, and therefore let us serve him with reverence and godly fear. It is true we may and ought through Christ to draw near to God with a holy boldnesse and confidence, as to a father, but withall we must demean our selves with a humble reverence in his presence.
(7) You must hear the Word of God obedientially. Come with an obedient heart readily prepared and disposed to stoop and submit to all the iustructions, corrections, and reproofes of the Word of God; like those spoken of in Act. 10.33. We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God; such a frame and disposition of heart should you alwayes bring with you when you come to hear the Word of God; be willing to submit to it, and if you had a 1000 necks to lay them all under the obedience of the Word, (as a learned Dutch Divine once said) hear the Word with fear: we read of an obedient ear: why? the ear is for hearing, but the meaning is, hear to obey.
Is this so that we must take heed how we hear?
(1) Then by way of Exhortation take heed you do not come unpreparedly; take heed lest you come with ungodly and unhumble hearts into Gods presence.
(2) Take heed you do not come to hear the Word carpingly; there are many in these times that come to hear meerly to carpe and intrap the minister if they can; they forget all the good matter of a Sermon, but if there be any thing amiss or impertinently (as they conceive) delivered, they will be sure to pitch upon that, though they let slip all the rest.
(3) Do not hear the Word dependingly. Do not depend upon your hearing or praying or any other service, you must make your duties your way, but not your Christ: many times the Lord does interrupt and keep off the force and efficacy of his Word from the hearer because he depends too much upon the hearing of the Word, or upon the Preacher of it. When the Israelites fought with the Philistines, and had the worst of it, they imputed their loss to the absence of the Arke from them, but yet when they had got the Arke with them, they had then worse successe then before, and a learned Divine gives this reason of it, namely, because they did Idolize the Arke, and depend too much upon it.
And therefore in hearing the Word do not depend too much upon your own strength, or upon the man, or upon the matter he preacheth, for though the matter be good, yet this is the way to have the benefit and prophet of it diverted from you. As in Prayer we should so prepare our selves for that duty, as if we had no Spirit in heaven to help our infirmities, but when we have performed the duty, we should look upon our selves as if we had said never a word, but that Christ had prayed in us, and done all in all for us. And so when we have heard a Sermon, we should look up to Christ, and beg his blessing upon it, that it may not not returne void, but accomplish the work for which it was sent, and be powerfull and efficacious to the good of our souls.
(4) Take heed how you hear, and be persuaded in the Lord to practise this rule, upon this ground, because the Lord doth proportion out his blessings on the Word answerable to your care in hearing of it.
The Lord does require in us an answerable care, in the use of means, for the increase of those graces in us for which he hath appointed those means. With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again, sometimes it is applyed to works of justice, as you judge others, so God shall you; And sometimes to works of mercy, Give full measure running over, for with what measure you mete it shall be meted unto you again: God shall restore to you again answerable to your charity towards others.
But another Evangelist applies this phrase to the hearing of the Word, Take heed how you hear, for with with what measure you mete it shall be meted to you again; that is, as you measure the Word in your preparations for it, before you come to hear it; so God will mete out to you your profit and benefit by it after you have heard it, the efficacy and profit of the word upon your hearts shall be answerable to your preparations and care in receiving of it. Take heed therefore how you hear.
FINIS.
End of the text · Christopher Love, The Mortified Christian (1654)