and resolutely to protest That untill he die he will never take away his innocencie from himselfe that he would keepe his righteousnesse and not forsake it and that his heart should not reprove him for his dayes 15 Hast thou an untoward Wife that is a continuall dropping and a perpetuall Goade in thy side Heare Iobs complaint Cap. 19. 17. My breath is strange to my Wife though I entreated for the childrens sake of mine owne body 16 Art thou vexed with a prophane dogged Husband Abigail a Wife and precious woman had a Nabal to her yoke-fellow Thus these patternes and precedents in the Booke of God purposely registred for the refreshing and recoverie of his chosen in spirituall or temporall straits are ordinarily proposed in a transcendent and matchlesse degree that in their greatest extremities by reflecting their eyes upon such examples they may be preserved from despaire have the stronger consolation and not thinke their cases to be comfortlesse and singular Let these considerations move us to be well read in these holy mysteries and day and night exercised in reading and meditating on them But to our purpose heare further what others say in this Point Secondly heare Gregorie the great What is the sacred Scripture but a certaine Epistle of the omnipotent God to his creature And surely if a man should receive writings from his Emperour he would not rest he would not be quiet he would give no sleepe to his eyes unlesse he had first knowne what that earthly Emperour had written to him The Emperour of Heaven the Lord of men and Angels hath sent his Letters to thee concerning thy life and yet my vaine-glorious sonne thou doest neglect earnestly to reade those Letters Studie them therefore I pray thee and dayly meditate upon the words of thy Creator Learne the minde of God in the Word of God that thou mayest aspire more earnestly to eternall things and that your minde may with greater desire be inflamed to the heavenly Kingdome Thirdly Origen teacheth That the people should learne the Scriptures without booke Fourthly Ierome counselleth That by dayly reading the Scriptures wee should get wisedome His words import so much Fifthly Read the Scriptures saith Austin for that they were written to the end we should be comforted Sixtly Ierome writing to Gaudentius about the education of a yong maid would have her at seven yeeres old and when she begins to blush to learne without book the Psalter and until she come to be marriageable to make the treasure of her heart the Books of Salomon the Gospels Apostles and Prophets Object 1. But the Scriptures are hard to be understood c. Answ Heare 1 Chrysostome All things are cleare and plaine out of the holy Scriptures Whatsoever things are necessarie are manifest 2 Ierome The Lord hath spoken by his Gospel not that a few but that all should understand it Plato wrote his writings but not to the people but to a few scarce three understand him 3 Cyrill The Scriptures are profitably recommended unto us in an easie speech that they should not goe beyond the capacitie of any 4 Againe Chrysostome who having said much for often reading and plainenesse of the Scriptures concludes Who is there to whom whatsoever is written in the Scriptures is not manifest Who is there who hearing that the meeke are blessed the mercifull blessed the pure in heart blessed and the like shall want a Master that he should learne any of those things which are spoken Object 2. But I am intangled with varietie of businesses I have no leisure to spend time in reading Scripture as you advise I am still busied in my Trade Husbandry Merchandise in some high roome c. I have a great charge Wife children and family to care for Let Schollers Ministers Gentle-folkes c. that have more time and leisure ply such businesses for I cannot Answ Who are more busied than Kings and Captaines and yet they are commanded to be diligent readers of Gods Booke See Deut. 17. 18 19. Iosh 1. 8. But Chrysostome makes this Objection and answers it himselfe excellently What sayest thou Oh man Is it not thy dutie to reade the Scriptures because thou art distracted with innumerable cares Yea it is thy dutie rather than others c. In which Sermon also he lets fall this confident assertion Neither now can it be it cannot be I say that any man should attaine unto salvation unlesse he be continually conversant in spirituall reading Object 3. But alas I cannot reade Answ Heare then Austin Neither let this be sufficient for you that in the Church you doe heare divine reading but also in your houses either doe you your selves reade or get others that can reade and doe you willingly hearken And he stirres them up to it with these considerations 1 Remember Brethren saith he the saying of our Lord in which hee saith If a man shall gaine the whole World and lose his owne soule what will it profit him 2 What remaineth and abideth in a man but that which every one either by reading or praying or doing good workes for the salvation of his soule hath layd up in the treasure of his Conscience Object 4. But will not publike reading in the House of God serve the turne Answ By no meanes Heare Chrysostome Therefore often doe I tell you before-hand many dayes before the argument of which I shall speake that in the dayes in the meane while taking a Booke and weighing the whole summe of the matter after yee have understood what hath beene said and what remaines to be said you may make your minde more fit to heare those things which afterward shall be declared and that I alwayes exhort to and will not cease to doe it That you doe not onely attend here to those things which are spoken but also when you shall be at home you may dayly attend to the reading of holy Scriptures Which thing I have not ceased to presse upon those who privately have talked with me Object 5. But from this libertie of reading Scriptures spring many Heresies Answ The sacred Scripture is not the cause of Heresies but the ignorance of the holy Scripture Heare Chrysostome Hence arose so many thousand evils from the ignorance of holy Writ Hence sprung up so great a plague of Heresies Godly Bookes also with which this Age is abundantly and plentifully enriched must be diligently and profitably read 3 Another meanes by which the Word may dwell plentifully in us is Conference See Deut. 6. 7. Luke 24. 19. That of Austin before pag. 210. in the second Reason of our seldome Preaching That of Chrysostome Walking with God pag. 248. Rogers seven Treatises pag. 364. c. my Walking with God pag. 86. c. 4 A fourth meanes is Meditation Of which see Rogers seven Treatises pag. 235. c. Matter of Meditation Wee may meditate
many visions the true fore-telling of things to come the inward lively and effectuall workings upon the soules of the elect and many other singular and sacred markes characters of divinity stamped upon it doth plainly shew that it is the alone holy invention of Gods divine pure and infinite understanding and revealed to the world for the inlarging of Gods glory and the salvation of many a thousand soules for the confusion of the kingdome of Satan and just condemnation of the children of hell Take heed then in the name of God that you give not entrance or entertainment to any such fearefull blasphemous temptation whereby the love and zeale to Gods Word may be cooled or you grow lesse carefull in purchasing and practising the knowledge and power of it This let layes hold onely upon men of a reprobate sense and those that are already marked out for certaine damnation A second let and hinderance from hearing the Word of God is recusancie the cozenage and imposture of Popery For such is the wickednesse and cruelty of that superstition and mystery of iniquity that it labours might and maine to keepe all the world close prisoners in the dungeon of darknesse and ignorance and for ever to deprive them of the light of the Gospell The prophane professors of this bloudy Religion hold ignorance to be the mother of devotion and a very dangerous thing for simple people to pry into the Booke of God And so they doe more safely and securely feed their followers with their owne damnable principles of treason rebellion disloyalty and disobedience to lawfull Kings So they lead ignorant people which way and as farre as they will in the kingdome of darknesse even to beleeve that blowing up of whole states and killing of Kings are very glorious acts and merit the brightest crowne of immortality and the highest seat in heaven I hope in the Lord there is none of you but with all his heart hates and detests this bloudy murtherous and Idolatrous generation and will by no meanes suffer his right eye of knowledge in Gods Word to be put out by these cursed Ammonites Adde here another let which is Separatisme See Ta. pag. 79. A third let and hinderance is the height of hardnesse of heart and most damned desperatenesse in sinning when men are become so greedy of fulfilling their sinfull pleasures that they drinke up sensuall delights like water draw on iniquity like cords of vanitie and sinne as with cart-ropes For then they beginne to say with themselves even to God himselfe with them in â—ob 21. 14 15. Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Who is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit should we have if we should pray unto him And with those to whom Isaiah in his fifth Chapter denounceth a fearefull woe Let him make speed let him hasten his worke that we may see it and let the counsell of the Holy one of Israel draw neare and come that wee may know it Men that are possessed with such a rebellious and scornfull spirit as this neither much care for God or his Worâ— threats or promises judgements or mercies heaven or hell No marvell then though they set light by Gods ministers and seeke not for instruction in holy knowledge and heavenly wisdome That wee may be preserved from this horrible and desperate case and so fearefully hardning our hearts against the Word of life and salvation we must be very carefull and watchfull that wee give not way passage and entertainment to wicked thoughts and the first sinfull motions for in this manner a man proceedes to the height of sinne and a reprobate sense There first ariseth in his Heart an idle and wandering thought of some unlawfull thing as of Lust Covetousnesse Pride Malice prophaning the Sabbath Cozening and circumventing his Brother and such like Secondly it begins to allure entice and conferre with the Will Thirdly the Will doth as it were take it by the hand and is tickled pleased and delighted with it Then followes Consent Consent sets the affections on foot and plots the accomplishment and practice of it and sinne practised with pleasure brings Custome Custome sharpens a mans wit and makes him looke about how to excuse it From excusing sinne hee growes to defend it Defence of sinne makes him obstinate and resolved to continue in it Obstinatenesse begets boasting and glorying in it And if a man once become impudent and take a pride in sinning there presently follows a brazen Brow and whorish fore-head an yron sinew in the necke a heart as hard as the nether Milstone a seared Conscience and a reprobate sense These are the steps by which a man riseth into the Seat of the scornefull And upon the top of these stayres Sinne sits in the greatest triumph and soveraigntie and banisheth out of a mans heart all feare of God love to his Ministers and zeale unto his Word A fourth Let and hinderance from hearing Gods Word and yeelding entire obedience unto it is a very pestilent and politike conceit which possesseth the hearts of very many whereby they are perswaded That Lawes divine are but like humane or mens constitutions As these execute none but chiefe Malefactors so these Decrees of God will at last condemne none but infamous and notorious sinners And therefore if they be but pettie Offendors or onely maintaine but one sweet sinne in themselves if they be not of the worst sort though they be not so forward hearers of Sermons so Scripture-wise or hold such a strict course of holinesse in their conversation yet they thinke with themselves their case is good enough and that it will goe well enough with them at last Hence it is that they are cold and carelesse in esteeming of hearing and conforming themselves to the Ministerie of the Word But let no man deceive himselfe The destruction of the negligent hearer of the Word of God and the disobedient to the Gospel of Christ Iesus shall be as the destruction of * Sodome and farre more grievous He that lyes and delights in any one knowne sinne of which his Conscience is convicted is in a fearefull case Without faith it is impossible to please God and Without holinesse no man shall see the face of the Lord. And none hath either faith or holinesse without saving knowledge out of Gods Booke Without the New-birth and continuance in grace unto the end no man shall be saved And sincere obedience to a constant and conscionable Ministerie of the Word is a meanes both to beget nourish and continue saving grace And let mens conceits be what they will as sure it is as God is in Heaven not one jot or tittle of all the Plagues and Curses registred in Gods Law but shall be severely executed upon all ignorant and unrepentant sinners and poured
The Reasons of this Doctrine may be these which follow The first may be taken from the insufficiencie and inabilitie of all other meanes to bring us to Heaven as 1 All the greatest Learning and deepest knowledge in the World will stand us in little stead in this businesse Otherwise it had gone well with many ancient Heathens and Philosophers of old who fadomed as deepe and reached as high in the depths and mysteries of all humane Learning and knowledge as the light of Reason and strength of Nature could possibly bring them And yet they were utterly strangers to the life of grace and without God in the World When they professed themselves to be wise they became fooles saith Paul Rom. 1. 22. They were puffed up with a little vaine-glorious knowledge here upon Earth and got them a Name amongst men But alas what was this When as for the want of the Light of Divine Truth they lost their Soules in another World and their Names never came in the Booke of Life Where is the wise saith Paul in another place Where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer of this World As if hee should have said All the knowledge of the greatest Doctors and learnedest Rabbins in the World without Grace vanisheth into nothing into vaine-glory emptinesse and aire nay casts them with greater horror and confusion into the Pit of Hell Every man saith Ieremie is a Beast by his owne knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iere. 10. 14. Except besides all other knowledge he be enlightened from above and have that Divine knowledge sanctified unto him hee can come no neerer the happinesse of Heaven than a very Beast 2 Worldly wisedome and policie is so farre from making men wise unto salvation that it is not onely starke foolishnesse with God and good men but it doth strongly set it selfe and is at enmitie against God Therefore saith God I will destroy the wisedome of the wise and will cast away the understanding of the prudent 1 Cor. 1. 19. Ahitophel was so wise even in the affaires of Kingdomes and businesse of State that the counsell which he counselled in those dayes was like as one had asked counsell at the Oracle of God and yet all this great wisedome in the end ended in extreme folly for upon a little discontent and disgrace in the World he sadled his Asse and went home unto his Citie and put his household in order and hanged himselfe 2 Sam. 16. 23. 17. 23. Although the end of all worldly wisedome be not so shamefull in the eye of the World yet undoubtedly it is most miserable and wofull in the World to come except their wisedome be sanctified and over-ruled by the Light of Gods Word Carnall wisedome can neither preserve a man from death nor prepare him to die blessedly it cannot stay his Life from going neither can it stop the Curse from comming it cannot deliver him from damnation in the World to come but rather encreaseth the grievousnesse of his punishment for in this life it hath kept possession against heavenly wisedome it made him uncapable of all good instructions it made him impatient of any rebuke and held him in ignorance and disobedience all his life 3 No good meanings or intentions without knowledge and warrant in the Word of God will ever serve our turne for salvation nay indeed they are abominable and hatefull in Gods sight Howsoever thousands deceive themselves in this point Vzzah had a good meaning in 2 Sam. 6. 6. when hee put his hand to the Arke of God and held it for the Oxen did shake it but notwithstanding the Lord was very wroth with Vzzah and God smote him in the same place and there hee died Iames and Iohn had good meanings when they called for fire from Heaven to consume the Samaritan that would not entertaine Christ but Iesus rebuked them and told them they knew not of what spirit they were Saul in 1 Sam. 15. had a good meaning when he spared Agag and the best of the Sheepe and of the Oxen to sacrifice them unto the Lord but notwithstanding Samuel tells him that he had done wickedly in the sight of the Lord and that the Lord had rent the Kingdome of Israel from him that day Peter had a good meaning when in Ioh. 13. 8. he would not suffer Christ to wash his feet but Iesus answered him and told him If I wash thee not thou shalt have no part with me Good meanings then are wicked missings of the true service of God except they be guided by knowledge warrant and ground out of the Booke of God Let no man then tell of his good meaning if he be ignorant in the Will and Word of God for certainely it will never serve the turne it will never hold out in the Day of Christ Iesus 4 No will-worship or will-service or voluntarie Religion as the Apostle calls it Col. 2. 23. which is forged and framed out of a mans owne braine humour and conceit without ground or warrant in the Booke of God though it be performed with never so glorious a shew of zeale and paines yet it is not any way availeable for our spirituall good and eternall happinesse nay indeed it is most odious in the eyes of God and ever lyable to a very high degree of his wrath and vengeance Baals Prophets 1 Kings 18. 28. were so hot and hastie in their will-worship that they cut themselves with knives and launcers till the bloud gushed out upon them The Papists they whip themselves they vow Continencie perpetuall Povertie and Regular Obedience and yet is the profession and practice of both bloudie and idolatrous When the Iewes worshipped God after the devised fashions of the Gentiles though their meaning was to worship nothing but God yet the Text saith they worshipped nothing but Devils Deut. 32. 17. And God there protests that therefore a fire was kindled in his wrath that should burne unto the bottome of Hell and set on fire the foundations of the mountaines So hated of Almightie God is all service and worship devised by the wit and will of man without warrant in the Word of God 5 Lastly not the Word of God it selfe in the Letter without the spirituall meaning and the finger of Gods Spirit to apply it powerfully to our soules and consciences is any sufficient rule of life or able to bring us into the Light of Grace This appeares in Nicodemus who was a great Doctor in the Law and the Prophets a chiefe Master and Teacher in Israel yet was a very Infant and Ideot in the power of Grace and mysterie of godlinesse For all his learning in the Letter of the Law he had not yet made one step towards Heaven for hee was not onely ignorant of but had a very absurd and grosse conceit of the new birth which is the very first entrance into
the Word of God to a love and liking of the heavenly knowledge therein contained and to a sound and sincere practice of it in our lives and conversations may be this The Word of God is as it were an Epistle or Letter as one of the Fathers calls it written from God Almightie unto us miserable men published by his owne Sonne sealed by his Spirit witnessed by his Angels conveyed unto us by his Church the Pillar and ground of Truth confirmed with the bloud of millions of Martyrs which hath alreadie brought thousands of soules to Heaven and fills every heart that understands it and is wholly guided by it with Light and Life with Grace and Salvation Now let us imagine a man to have a Letter sent unto him but by an Earthly King or some great Prince in the World wherein hee should have a Pardon granted him for some capitall Crime and high Offence whereby hee were lyable to a terrible kind of death or wherein hee should be fore-warned of some great and imminent danger hanging over his head and readie every houre to fall upon him or wherein hee should have assured and confirmed unto him under the Kings Seale some rich Donation or great Lordship Now I say if a man should receive but a Letter from some high and mightie Potentate upon Earth wherein any of these favours should be conveyed unto him how reverently would he receive it how thankfully would he accept of it how often would he reade it how warily would he keepe it how highly would he esteeme of it Why in this royall and sacred Letter sent from the King and great Commander both of Heaven and Earth all these favours and a thousand more joyes and comforts are conveyed unto every beleever and practiser thereof In that we are fore-warned lest by our ignorance impietie and impenitencie wee fall into the Pit of Hell and everlasting horror In that we have promised and performed unto us the pardon and remission of all our sinnes whereby wee justly stand guiltie of the second death and the endlesse torments of the damned By the vertue of it we are not onely comforted with grace in this World but shall undoubtedly be crowned with peace glory and immortalitie in the World to come Such a Letter as this hath the mightie and terrible God most glorious in all Power and Majestie who is even a consuming and devouring fire sent unto us miserable men by nature wretched and forlorne creatures Dust and Ashes why then with what reverence chearefulnesse and zeale ought wee to receive reade heare marke learne understand and obey it A second Motive may be the precious golden and divine matter which is contained in the Booke of God and that true and ever-during happinesse to which it onely can bring us There is nothing proposed and handled in the Word of God but things of greatest weight and highest excellency As the infinite majesty power and mercy of God the unspeakable love and strange sufferings of the Sonne of God for our sakes the mighty and miraculous working of the holy Spirit upon the soules of men There is nothing in this Treasury but Orient Pearles and rich Iewels as promises of grace spirituall comfort confusion of sinne the triumph of godlines refreshing of wearied soules the beautie of Angels the holinesse of Saints the state of Heaven salvation of sinners everlasting life What Swine are they that neglecting these precious Pearles root only in the Earth wallow in worldly pleasures feede upon vanities transitorie trash and vanishing riches which in their greatest need will take them to their wings like an Eagle and flie into the Heavens Besides the Word of God is only able to prepare us for true happinesse in this world and to possesse us of it in the world to come It only begets in us a true intire and universall holinesse without which none shall ever see the face of God or the glory of Heaven for it is impossible hereafter to live the life of glory blessednes in Heaven if we live not here the life of grace and sincerity in all our waies It is called the immortall Seed because it regenerates and renewes us both in our Spirits Soules and Bodies in our Spirits that is in judgement memory conscience in our Soules that is in our will and affections in our Bodies that is in every member If the Prince of this world hath not blinded the eyes of our minds and that we be not reprobats as concerning salvation it only is able to inlighten our understandings to rectifie our wills to sanctifie our hearts to mortifie our affections to set Davids Doore before our lips that are offend not with our tongues to set Iobs Doore before our eyes that they behold not vanity to manacle our hands feet with the cords and bands of Gods Law that they do not walke or worke wickedly nay and it is able to furnish and supply us with sufficiencie of spirituall strength to continue in all these good things and in a godly course vnto the end And if we be once thus qualified we are rightly fitted and prepared for the glory that is to be revealed As before this holy Word did translate us from the darknesse of sinne into the light of grace it can now much more easily with joy and triumph bring us from the light of grace to the light of immortalitie and everlasting pleasures at Gods right hand A third Motive may be this Wee must be judged by the Word of God at the last Day If any man saith Christ Ioh. 12. 47 48. heare my words and beleeve not I judge him not for I came not to judge the World but to save the World He that refuseth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken it shall judge him in the last Day Whensoever wee shall come to judgement and appeare before Gods Tribunall and wee little know how neere it is two Bookes shall be layd open unto us the one of Gods Law another of our owne Conscience The former will tell us what wee should have done for the Lord hath revealed it to the World to be the rule of our faith and of all our actions The other will tell us what wee have done for Conscience is a Register Light and Power in our Vnderstanding which treasures up all our particular actions against the Day of Triall discovers unto us the equitie or iniquitie of them and determines of them either with us or against us Now we must not take any exception against the first that is the Law of God For the Law of God saith David Psal 19. 7. is perfect converting the soule The testimonie of the Lord is sure and giveth wisedome unto the simple Wee cannot against the second that is the Booke of our Conscience for it was ever in our custodie and keeping no man could corrupt it there
is nothing writ in it but with our owne hands Now in what a terrible fearefull case will a man be at that Day when he shall see the Booke of God layd open before him in the Light whereof hee should have led all his life and by which he is now to be judged and yet know himselfe to have had no knowledge but to have beene a meere stranger in it Though the great things of the Law were many times published and preached unto him yet hee counted them but as a strange thing Every mans Conscience is naturally corrupt defiled and uncomfortable and can endure and digest reasonable quietly the rage of disordered affections many vile corruptions and sinfull actions and therefore at the last Day when it shall be awakened opened examined it will bring forth nothing but the Worme that never dyes strange confusion and condemnation except it hath beene formerly in this World enlightened purged and sanctified by the Word of Grace and the Bloud of the Lambe Most accursed then and forlorne will be the state of every ignorant man when he shall appeare before the Iudge of all the World When he lookes upon his Conscience he shall finde nothing but guilt and horror when upon the Law and upon the Word of God after which he should have lived and by which he must now be judged it will be to him but as a sealed Booke hee will see nothing but his owne ignorance blindnesse and strangenesse in it And therefore all the Plagues and Curses denounced in it against ignorant wicked and unrepentant sinners shall be his portion in the Lake that burnes with fire and Brimstone for evermore This ought then to stirre up every man with all care and Conscience to store himselfe while he hath time with saving knowledge and holy obedience unto that Word which must be his Iudge in the last Day Nay and let him take heed unto his feet and looke unto his behaviour when hee enters into the House of God For in that Day he must answer and be countable for every Sermon that he hath heard and for every Lesson he hath beene taught out of the Booke of God If they have not enlightened his understanding they have hardened his heart if they doe not now reforme him they will hereafter confound him if he doe not profit by them he shall be sure to be plagued for the neglect of them For Gods Word is unto every man that heares it either the savour of life unto life or the savour of death unto death It is a two-edged Sword it either kills the sinne or the soule it must and shall prosper in the worke for which it is sent God will rayse glory hee will winne honour unto himselfe from every man If hee cannot be glorified by his conversion and salvation hee will glorifie his owne Name in his deserved overthrow and just confusion A fourth Motive may be That horrible and fearefull punishment and destruction which at length will certainely befall all negligent and contemptuous hearers and those that practise not the power thereof in their lives and conversations Whosoever saith our blessed Saviour shall not receive you or heare your words when yee depart out of that house or that Citie shake off the dust of your feet Truly I say unto you it shall be easier for them of the Land of Sodome and Gomorrah in the Day of Iudgement than for that Citie The infamous abominations the damnable and crying sinnes of the Sodomites are knowne unto all Who hath not heard of those flouds of fire and Brimstone which swept them away as the hatefullest creatures that ever lived upon the Earth How rufull then and how lamentable will be their condition who are lyable and subject to more horrible plagues than these Wee should therefore consider that the negligent irreverent and unprofitable hearing of the Word of God is a sinne of a farre greater weight and more fearefull consequence than we ordinarily imagine When wee heare the Ministers and Embassadours of God delivering his mind and revealing his Will unto us out of such places as these we are to conceive that in a neerer and more speciall manner wee stand in the presence of the great God of Heaven and Earth who is clothed with infinite terrour power and majestie and thereafter we ought to proportion our behaviour and carriage with reverence humility and obedience to so great a presence Earthly Princes will not endure contempt and disgrace at their subjects hands They cannot abide to have their Majestie and authority lightly set by their lawes and commands to bee neglected and troden under foot Why then should the Lord of glory of justice and power beare such indignities at the hands of sinfull men which are his most abject vassals and contemptible creatures Certaine it is if wee weight aright the greatnesse of that God before whom wee stand and our owne vilenesse wee should hold it most just if he should presently in the place where we stand punish and plague our sleepinesse talking wandring thoughts and irreverent carriage at hearing his Word with some sudden and markable vengeance to be a spectacle example unto others for neglecting so great salvation It is Gods great mercy that such plagues and judgements are respited suspended and deferred for even all the curses in the booke of God doe naturally deservedly and in the course of Gods justice belong unto the negligent hearer and disobedient unto the Word of God All these curses saith Moses Deut. 28. 49. shall come upon thee and pursue thee and overtake thee till thou be destroyed because thou obeyest not the voice of the Lord thy God I come now in the second place to the temptations and lets whereby a man may bee hindered from hearing the Word of God profiting by it and a conscionable practising of the same The highest in impiety and most horrible is a spice of Atheisme which Satan suggests into worldly men whereby they wickedly and very blasphemously thinke that the sacred Word of God is but a politike invention and devise to keepe men in awe and order in Cities and societies and to preserve them from wildnesse and outrages But I would gladly know whose worke and invention it is if it be not Gods Almighty It is not mans For it directly and strongly opposeth against the streame of his sensuall delights and earthly pleasures It curbs his most desired contentments and crosseth the naturall bent of his affections It is not Satans For he in all ages hath fiercely and furiously set himselfe against it and it is the engine that batters and beats downe his kingdome of darknesse It is not any Angels or other creatures For the Majestie excellencie miraculous efficacie and wonderfull power of Gods Word is farre above the reach and capacity of any creature transcendent to all created understandings and finite comprehension Besides the famous miracles the
heard that is more than remembring There is a great deale of difference betwixt the possessing of goods and the using and imploying of them for our benefit betwixt the laying up of garments in our Wardrobes and the wearing of them upon our backes to keepe us warme this latter is done by meditation Prov. 6. 22 23. My sonne binde the Commandements continually upon thy heart and tie them about thy necke It is a phrase of speech borrowed from garments that are bound about the body for meditation bindes the Word close to the heart It is said of Mary Luke 2. 19. that shee pondered the words of the Angel in her heart and David was frequent in this dutie Psal 119. 15. I will meditate in thy Precepts saith he And it was Pauls advice to Timothy 1 Tim. 4. 15. Meditate upon these things give thy selfe wholly to them that thy profiting may appeare to all First this is the way to make men profit by the Word of God and that so evidently that all may take notice of it this is one great benefit of the Word meditated upon Iosh 1. 8. Thou shalt meditate in the Booke of the Law day and night To what end That thou mayest observe to doe according to all that is written therein Secondly this course will argue unfained love unto the Word Psal 119. 97. Oh how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Thirdly this will greatly encrease our comfort in the Word and cause us to feele much more sweetnesse in it even as the chewing of our meat makes us to taste much more sweetnesse in it Psal 119. 15 16. he saith I will meditate on thy Precepts and have respect unto thy wayes I will delight my selfe in thy Statutes Meditation ever brings with it delight Fourthly this will greatly encrease our knowledge Psal 119. 99. I have more understanding than my teachers Why because thy testimonies are my meditation Now if this be required after hearing how is it possible that they should profit by the Word that never scarcely thinke of it afterwards It is noted of the Disciples that though they had seene Christs mightie power in the miracle of the Loaves yet because they considered not the miracle their hearts were hardened i. because they did not meditate upon it they were never the better for it And thus it usually speedes with those that are carelesse in the performing of this dutie 3 Wee must conferre of that wee have heard and repeat it amongst our selves and examine the Scriptures about the truth of that that is delivered I joyne them all together for so they may well be in the practice of them For conference David saith Psal 119. 172. My tongue shall speake of thy Word for all thy Commandements are righteousnesse This was ordinarily practised by the Disciples of our Saviour Christ when he had taught how hardly rich men shall be saved Mark 10. 26. They were astonished out of measure and said amongst themselves Who then can be saved So they conferred about another Sermon of our Saviour Ioh. 16. 17 18. Now repetition of Sermons is especially required of them that have families to repeat the Word unto them Deut. 11. 18 19. You shall lay up these my words in your hearts and you shall teach them your children speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house yea it is said to be the chiefest thing that the Lord had respect unto in giving us his Word and the knowledge thereof that we might instruct our families in it Deut. 4. 10. Gather ye my people together and I will make them heare my words that they may learne to feare me and may teach their children And this if it were practised carefully would both make children and servants more carefull to heare and to attend unto the publike Ministery and better our memories that wee may be much better able to retaine that which we heare and it will also worke an inward feeling in us and our children of that which we have heard Therefore Deut. 6. 6 7. it is called the whetting of them upon our children repetition doth set an edge upon their dulnesse Yea further for the searching and examining of the Scriptures we are commanded 1 Thess 5. 21. to try all things and to hold fast that which is good And the example of those noble Beraeans is commended unto us Act. 17. 11 12. that searched the Scriptures dayly concerning those things that were delivered by Paul Therefore many of them beleeved Therefore it is a grievous neglect that people in these dayes are guilty of that neither conferre concerning the Word they are ashamed of it and which is a fearefull reproach unto them the Word of God is a reproach unto them Ier. 6. 10. nor yet repeat Sermons in their families they are like Martha Luke 10. 41. troubled about so many worldly occasions nor yet examine and search the Scriptures And therefore are easily carried about with every winde of Doctrine and never established and setled in the Truth 4 Wee are to put in practise whatsoever wee heare till that our hearts and lives are quite changed by it Iam. 1. 22. Be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiving your owne soules i. they cozen themselves by false reasonings and arguments or by sophisticall Syllogismes reasoning after this or the like manner He that heares the Word is a good Christian. But I heare the Word c. Or thus He that heares not shall be damned But I heare the Word Therefore I shall be saved But how doth this follow For though the neglect or contempt of the Word is sufficient to condemne a man yet the hearing of the Word is not sufficient to save a man Well obedience is the end of hearing Deut. 5. 1. Heare O Israel the Statutes which I speake in your eares this day that ye may learne them and keepe them and doe them The like ye finde Iam. 1. 25. Yea obedience to the Word must be speedie without any delayes or procrastinations as it is said of the Colossians Col. 1. 6. that the Gospel brought forth fruit in them from the very day they heard it and knew the grace of God in truth And the Prophet David resolved Psal 119. 60. I made hast and prolonged not the time to keepe thy Commandements And this is a singular frame of heart because the putting of the Word in practise immediately is a great advantage to the hearer seeing then the affections of the heart are quicke and lively which with delayes dye and decay very suddenly Now alas for the wonderfull paucitie of such obedient hearers for very few doe practise any thing they heare leave any sinne or doe any dutie and therefore they must needs prove like the House built on the Sand when the time of tryall shall come they must needs fall Math. 7. 27. Againe there are many that in hearing have good motions and purposes but they are like
the sluggard that said Yet a little slumber yet a little sleepe so because they delay they vanish and come to nothing of whom in respect of their spirituall povertie it may be said which Salomon speakes His povertie shall come as one that travelleth and his want as an armed man AN APPENDIX OR ADDITION to this Treatise of the WORD PROV 13. 13. He that despiseth the Word shall be destroyed BY the occasion of which words let our Christian meditations be a little fastened upon the greatnesse of the sinne of contemning and despising of the Word My meaning is not to handle it as a Text but onely to take a hint to begin to lay downe the danger of this epidemicall and ordinarie disease that so exceedingly spreads in these dayes and then to adde some meanes and directions to make us to be preparedly and profitably conversant about so great an Ordinance as the hearing of the Word WE of this Land let us now open our eyes to see it have certainely most fearefully and cursedly sinned against God and provoked his fierce wrath against us by contempt of his holy Word by shutting our eyes against the heavenly Light of the Gospel which hath beene brought amongst us by not prizing the Ministerie which we have now enjoyed a long time nor profiting by it nay by wicked opposing it with secret persecution at the least and cruell mockings In the first place consider the crie of this sinne and the curses it brings from such places as these First Isa 29. 11. and both before and after And the vision of all saith the Prophet is become unto you as the words of a Booke that is sealed c. So may I justly say All the visions revelations discoveries of the mysterie of Christ opening of all Gods counsels all the expositions interpretations applications of the Ministery of most places have beene unto the most of us a fearefull thing I speake but most true and to be lamented with teares of bloud as the words of a Booke that is sealed which they deliver to one that can reade saying Reade this I pray thee Then shall he say I cannot for it is sealed And the Booke is given to him that cannot reade saying Reade this I pray thee and he shall say I cannot reade That is all the Sermons they shall heare and all the heavenly Messages are brought them from God shall be as a sealed Booke to a learned man or an open Booke unto an Ideot They shall stare in the face of the Minister when he is clearely unfolding the great mysterie of godlinesse and shall not be able to understand him they shall have their owne Conscience unript to the quicke by the power of the Word and shall not perceive it they shall have their sweet sinne discovered and damned unto the pit of Hell by evident and unanswerable demonstration out of the Booke of God and yet have no power to leave it For the vision of the Prophets saith the Prophet in the forecited Chapter is become unto them as the words of a Booke sealed up And therefore all the Doctrine of salvation though it drop upon them as the raine and still as the deaw shall be but unto their hearts as unto the hardest rockes all holy admonitions and reproofes as arrowes shot against a stone-wall all sacred Lessons offered and urged upon their Consciences be as a Seale stampt upon water which receives no impression O most wofull and fearefull estate Secondly Isa 28. 9. Whom shall he teach knowledge c. This is not as many understand it That people must have a little by little preached unto them but it is a curse upon them As if he should say They are nothing fitter to the discipline of the knowledge of God than infants newly weaned to receive any instruction For Precept must be upon Precept c. Vers 10. As if he should say They must be taught as little children a little at once and have oft repeated over and over and yet they can learne nothing to doe them good chiefely concerning their repentance and escaping Gods Iudgements I would to God it were not too evident by long and dolefull experience That our Ministerie hath done lesse good amongst the elder sort and men of much worldly wisedome for bringing them to any sound and comfortable knowledge in Gods Word than amongst little children Thirdly Ezech. 33. 30 31 32 33. And loe thou art unto them as a very lovely Song of one that hath a pleasant voice c. And is it not so with us That even to some that seeme to be friends and to delight in the Ministerie the Word is become as if it had lost all power to turne them from their sinne to the holy way from plausible formalitie to saving forwardnesse Heare a Character of them Isa 58. 2. Yet they seeke me dayly and delight to know my wayes as a Nation that did righteousnesse and forsooke not the Ordinance of their God they aske of me the Ordinances of Iustice they take delight in approaching to God They may heare the Word gladly as Herod did and perhaps observe the Messenger c. but they will not stirre an ynch further from sinne and neerer to God say what he will let him preach out his heart they will still hugge their bosome-sinne and hold exactly their heartlesse formes and formall fashions in Religion after five thousand Sermons They are all unto them as a lovely Song of one that hath a sweet voice and leave no more impression upon their Consciences than a pleasant Lesson upon the Lute upon the eare when it is ended Fourthly Ier. 23. 33. And when this people or a Prophet or a Priest shall aske thee saying What is the burthen of the Lord c. Nay hath not the cursed sinne of loathing this heavenly Manna beene found among us Hath not our much Preaching beene accounted a burthen a wearisomenesse and a trouble yea as here it was once unto the Iewes a matter of scorne and reproach The Lord complaines grievously in the quoted place of this sinne how they tooke up this custome amongst them concerning the faithfull preaching of all the true Prophets to aske scoffingly What is the burthen of the Lord Thus making a scorne of all the right discoverie of their sinnes and the sound denunciation of Gods Iudgement calling it by the name of a Burthen the Lord chargeth them most severely that they should not use that disdainefull speech any more Hee tells them how that they had perverted and abused the holy Word of the ever-living God the Lord of Hoasts and withall directs them what phrase of speech they should use when they speake of his Word sent unto them by his true Prophets That thus each should demand in reverence of his Majestie What hath the Lord answered or What hath the Lord spoken And to leave off those reproachfull taunting tearmes What is the burthen of the Lord Or otherwise hee would