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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13547	The parable of the sovver and of the seed Declaring in foure seuerall grounds, among other things: 1. How farre an hypocrite may goe in the way towards heauen, and wherein the sound Christian goeth beyond him. And 2. In the last and best ground, largely discourseth of a good heart, describing it by very many signes of it, digested into a familiar method: which of it selfe is an entire treatise. And also, 3. From the constant fruit of the good ground, iustifieth the doctrine of the perseuerance of saints: oppugneth the fifth article of the late Arminians; and shortly and plainly answereth their most colourable arguments and euasions. By Thomas Taylor, late fellow of Christs Colledge in Cambridge, and preacher of the Word of God, at Reding in Bark-shire.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1621 (1621)	STC 23840; ESTC S118185	284,009	494

pauement They are not terrified by denunciation of all the iudgements of God which are their owne portion not comforted with promises though they falsly conceiue them their owne but as the froward Iewes Math. 11.17 are like froward children whether they be piped or mourned vnto they be all one moued with neither 4. See we in our Text a great many who grow vp by the Word and by their delight and diligence are furnished with a great measure of knowledge that they can fruitfully conferre of the Scriptures they can try Doctrines by Scripture and iudge betweene truth and falsehood yea they are growne vp to a glorious profession with much zeale and forwardnesse and not onely so but to such a reformation as they seeme throughly sanctified make much of Ministers and be at cost to any good purpose and as forward as any and yet with more than all this be bad ground and reprobate Alas what then shall become of a multitude of our carelesse and forgetfull Hearers of our brutish and senslesse Hearers who are resolued to remaine so What of those barren hearts whose fallow grounds the Lord hath plowed vp sowed on them the seeds of eternall life watered them with continuall dewes of heauen and lookes for the fruits of obedience but reapes onely tares and cursed fruits of ignorance wilfulnesse opposition of sincerity scorne of his faithfull Ministers and contemning of his grace offered vnto them Oh my brethren if euer you were serious in any thing concerning your good thinke seriously of this one poynt And if God euer made me able to speake to your hearts Oh that I could carry this poynt in and reach the hearts of you all Or rather let the Lord who made your hearts take this his owne honour and speake so as they may heare That numbers of you come short of these bad Hearers and that multitudes of Reprobates in the Day of the Lord shall rise vp in iudgement to condemne many of vs who neuer receiue the Word so readily so hungrily so painfully so ioyfully so fruitfully as they haue done That numbers of cursed caitiffes shall be able to say more for their owne saluation then numbers of vs They shall be able to say Lord wee haue stept many a mile to heare thy Word wee haue carefully attended marked remembred meditated conferred and applyed it It was our ioy and delight to gaine the knowledge of holy things and to our knowledge we ioyned zeale forwardnesse and reformation We professed thy Name suffered many things for our profession loued thy House reuerenced thy Ministers and would haue parted with our eyes to haue done them good Also we were liberall to the poore Saints and to other good purposes Canst thou say thus much for thy selfe If thou canst not thou commest behinde a Cast-away If thou canst thou art not yet before a Reprobate And if hee that cannot say more shall neuer come to heauen how shall he come there that cannot say halfe so much Why should we not hence shame our selues that Reprobates and such as heauen shall be shut against are so far before vs Can we haue comfort or hope in such an estate as is outstripped by hopelesse and damned hypocrites Obiect What doe you meane to driue vs all to despaire Is this the way to reach vs the assurance of our saluation to which you so often call vs Can we be assured by such a desperate and vncomfortable Doctrine Answ. 1. This Doctrine seemes harsh and vncomfortable to such as faine would presume of a good estate but haue no good cause or ground Such as would hang like Meteors in the aire betweene hope and doubt leauing the assurance and good euidence to such as care for it are by this Doctrine discarded and disappointed And yet not driuen to despaire by it because God hath appointed a meanes to draw them out of the danger and despaire of their present estate by Iesus Christ and the sincere embracing of the meanes of saluation and assurance 2. This Doctrine directly intends the most assured comfort and consolation of Gods children which will hold out in the day of triall because it enforceth the Christian to soundnesse in his course and to run his race of Christianity not as at vncertaintie 1. Cor. 9.26 which is indeed most vncomfortable It forceth him to diligence in prouing himselfe and suffers him not to stay where bad Hearers doe but to goe further euen so farre as they cannot come Vse 2. Seeing many shall seeke so diligently to enter and shall not be able Luk. 13.24 let vs seriously examine our selues and proue whether wee goe beyond the scantling of Reprobates in hearing Wee see how many great things they attaine vnto who by them neuer attaine to eternall life and many hope to attaine eternall life who neuer attained such gifts as many wicked men haue But for our assurance of saluation let vs sift our hearts to the bottome and gage these hollow vessels and not content ourselues in any of these gifts till we can say in truth Heerein I goe beyond a Reprobate neuer could hypocrite attaine this Here for our better furtherance in so waighty a businesse I will enter into a more speciall examination of these foure things 1. Of desires 2. Of illumination 3. Of ioy 4. Of growth by the Word In the triall whereof wee shall the better iudge of our owne soundnesse I. Examine thy desires after God and his Word in these particulars 1. In the ground of them Then onely are they gracious and acceptable first when thou hast proued and discerned that the doctrine is of God and yeeldest not to it in any other respect but as to the authority of God And secondly when thou hast prized the thing desired aboue all that may be compared with it and so taking thy heart from all other things bestowed it onely on it as the chiefe good This an hypocrite cannot doe He may attaine a desire but it is altogether vngrounded This stony ground desires and receiues the seed immediately indeed too hastily the desire being an heritage hastily gotten Either out of simplenesse and leuity and lightnesse in beleeuing as Prou. 14.15 The foole beleeues euery thing and they yeeld presently without any good warrant Or out of policy and warinesse for indirect and present respects they so consent to the truth as that they are as ready to consent to errour if it be deliuered with any shew or vrged on them by superiours The winde driues not the clouds about more vsually then are these windy Professors with winds of doctrine This therefore thou must doe in the first place Looke that thy desire bee thus soundly grounded It was the commendation of the Bereans that they receiued the Word with all readines but so as they searched the Scriptures and knew them to be so And let vs doe in our way to heauen as Peter in his way to Macedonia Act. 16.10 After he saw a vision

hee is a good man neuer man spake so c. blesse God for him and blesse the time he euer came among them But what haue you learned Here they haue nothing to say but they hope they take good because he is a good man Now wee haue found an high-way ground hellish birds haue pickt vp all 2. If thou be capable in other things and vncapable heere as many are quicke in all their busines and can carry away difficult discourses of worldly matters which they are affectionate and attentiue vnto but cannot carry away either in their vnderstanding or memory a poynt of necessary doctrine because they haue no pleasure in it the diuell keepes them from profit by it 3. If being vncapable and silly in other things they are witty and subtill for maintaining of sinnes and lusts A plaine case the diuell is their teacher and will not permit them any other master Many come 〈◊〉 Church and after twenty yeeres hearing are very blockes hauing got nothing but some texts of Scripture wrested to maintaine their sinnes Vse 4. Seeing Satan layes all his plots to get the Word or keepe it out of the heart 〈◊〉 in comming to heare must especially labour to get and keepe it in our hearts Prou. 5.3 Write my words on the table of thine heart and chap. 4.4 Let th● heart hold fast my words and vers 21. Keepe them in the middest of thy heart As Mary pondered Christs speeches in her heart Now that wee may thus lay the Word to our hearts and apply our hearts to it 1. Consider and meditate on the great Maiesty of God whose Word it is that we may heare it not as the word of man but of God 1. Thes. 2.13 spirituall and binding the conscience and one word or tittle whereof can neuer faile 2. Consider the matter of it Iesus Christ and saluation by him In the Word preached behold Christ crucified Gal. 3.1 3. Consider the power vse and end of it that it is the power of God to saluation and able to saue our soules if it be ingraffed 4. Consider that it is the same Word which binds or looseth vs for the present and shall iudge vs at the last Day Ioh. 12.48 5. Make roome in the heart before-hand by bewailing those sinnes which may keepe backe Gods blessing or stuffe the heart Thrust out all sinne and all purpose of sinning Put not sweet liquour into fusty vessels 6. Apply wee all to our selues in particular not to others as Adam posts it to Eue and she to the Serpent And so long apply till it be fastened in the heart And then it is fastened when the promises are beleeued the threats feared the precepts sincerely obeyed Vse 5. This shewes vs what is the reason why most men after long hearing continue ignorant and brutish as at first They can giue no answere to the Articles of faith can render no account of so many precepts deliuered plainly and profitably cannot remember of 500. Sermons scarce so many words Is not now the Word of power to teach and instruct them Yes but 1. The heart is a barren and high-way ground paued by Satan no seed can spere or sprout in it Yet these most boast of the goodnesse of their hearts 2. A flight of diuels hath lighted on our Congregations and almost pickt vp all A man that hauing laid vp money in a chest findes none when he comes againe will say Surely the theefe hath been heere So we may say The diuell hath bin heere 3. A iust reuenge of God it is on carelesse Hearers to set the diuell in their neckes to steale and catch away all the Word that they set so light by lest they should beleeue and be saued Wouldest thou auoid this reuenge of God Then be aduised As Abraham droue away the birds that troubled him in his sacrificing Gen. 15.11 So driue thou away these hellish birds that trouble thee in thy hearing by preparation attention meditation prayer practice And thus though thou canst not hinder these birds from flying about thy head yet thou shalt giue them no roome to nest or rest in thy heart So much of the first ground Now to the second Vers. 6. And some fell on stones and when it was sprung vp it withered away because it lacked moisture HEre consider three things 1. The kinde of soyle some fell on stones 2. The successe of the seed in it In the beginning hopefull and commendable it sprung vp In the end dolefull and lamentable it withered away 3. The reason of that vncomfortable successe it lacked moisture The soyle is the stones or stony ground vers 13. They which are on the stones are such as heare the Word c. A kinde of bad Hearers compared to stones or stony ground 1. For their naturall hardnesse which cannot be broken nor softened 2. For their coldnesse not warmed with the heate of the Sunne of righteousnesse nor the Spirit of God but abide cold as stones 3. For their heauinesse A stone will not easily be remoued out of his place his proper Center is the earth Cast him by maine strength as high as may be imagined and let him alone he will fall to the earth againe So these Hearers are not easily moued out of their naturall corruption but moue them and lift them violently vp by the Ministery long they stay not but downe they fall to the earth and earthly things which is their proper place and element 4. For their vnprofitablenesse and resistance of the fruits of the earth for as stoninesse of ground by the curse vpon mans sinne became very noysome to the fruits of the earth so the stoninesse of heart a part of the curse more hinders fruits of grace than any stony ground can hinder seed cast into it 5. As stony ground and common stones are little esteemed but reiected of men so this stony ground is as little respected of God Yet herein our hard hearts are worse than stones they increase not their hardnesse but ours is daily increased by wilfulnesse and peruersnesse Now to the successe of the seede in this stony ground and first the hopefull and commendable in the beginning it sprung vp Which implies that of Matthew chap. 13.20 He which heareth the Word and incontinently with ioy receiueth it Where wee haue foure things considerable 1. This bad ground receiueth the Word wherein they go beyond the former Hearers who onely heard the Word but left it assoone as they heard it let the diuell or any deuouring bird eate it and take it from them they care not The former gaue it hearing but cared not to vnderstand it these receiue it attentiuely and seeme greedily to digest it They did not one whit affect it these receiue it into their affections 2. This bad ground receiues it incontinently saith Matthew when God speakes they will heare and without delayes or excuses willingly receiue when God proffereth They seeme to know their season

Christian because hee knowes that without faith nothing is pleasing to God lookes especially to grow in faith And knowing that pure loue must flow from faith vnfained hee seekes to grow vp in feruent loue of God of his Word of his Image of his children and all holy things And because humility is the foundation of all good graces he layes a good ground there and builds all vpon it And because he cannot be zealous as Iehu who still followed the vile sinnes of Ieroboam his father he growes most in most inward hatred of his most inward and secret corruptions Thus whereas a barren tree stayes in leaues and showes hee as a good tree growes to bring the best fruits euen the best and most sound and shining graces 3. Examine thy selfe in what measure thou growest A sound growth is filled with fruits of righteousnesse laden with the fruits of the Spirit Ioh. 15.8 Herein is the Father glorified that ye bring much fruit And sound growth is in euery part in euery affection and in euery grace But the growth of an hypocrite is two wayes peccant 1. It is delicate 2. It is partiall It is delicate He will professe and reforme so farre as he list but will keepe a brothers wife or spare some Agag or hold some sweet morsell vnder his tongue He may and will amend many faults but some one or other he reformes not nor wil reforme Whereas were the growth sound it would conscionably respect all the Commandements it would somewhat reforme all sinnes it would striue to bee vnblameable in spirit soule and body 1. Thes. 5.23 Againe it is partiall and so the hypocrite deceiues himselfe two wayes 1. Sometimes hee growes in the profession of faith not in the grace of faith as it is noted by Christ of certaine Disciples that they beleeued not Ioh. 6.64 Many pretend faith when they are without feeling without application 2. Sometimes on the contrary he rests in a supposall of faith without the profession of faith Now his policy is his Religion Against both these deceits see thy faith and profession grow alike and bee able to say with the Prophet Psal. 116.10 I beleeued therefore I spake and with the Apostles We cannot chuse but speake what we haue heard Indeed somtime the child of God may haue faith in the heart and not profession in the mouth but that is either in the beginning of grace as Nicodemus or in tentation as Peter for feare or Gods desertion till Christ looke backe againe 4. Examine thy affection in growth Growth in grace is vnlike the growth of nature In nature the more a thing growes the higher it is in grace the lower the further thou growest the more humble thou art And why 1. Because no grace outgrowes humility which is planted before any other 2. He that is more growne sees more cleerly his want of growth and is humbled in his want as the poore man Mark 9.24 I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe and as the Apostles Luk. 17.5 Lord increase our faith 3. This spirituall pouerty keepes him hungry and he will grow still till hee be best at last Contrariwise vnsound growth sees not his vnproficiency in growth and so is proud of that hee hath and quickly growes to saciety and security and thinkes himselfe growne farre enough 5. Dost thou continue in growth euen in opposition and to the conclusion As 1. Doth grace grow against nature whē nature pleads peace profit and perswades it is no wisedome to be meddling when flesh and blood saith Master pitty thy selfe This is a signe of soundnesse when nature takes one part and the Word another now the Commandement preuailes for an hypocrite abides no thorow-mortification 2. Doth thy faith grow against thy feeling An hypocrite may bee perswaded of Gods fauour for the present while hee feeles a flash and sudden gleame but if that flash be gone his faith is gone because his feeling is But faith is sometimes at defiance with feeling It is the euidence of things not seene and will hold his perswasion against sence If Iob feele God killing him yet his faith will trust in him And Abraham will hope against hope Rom. 4.18 3. Doest thou grow in this frozen and wintrous time so stormie and blustering against sincerity Doest thou flourish like a greene Bay-tree in the winter of this age in want of encouragements and example This is necessary For an hypocrite may seeme to grow in the Sunne and peace of the Gospell but hardly shares in the scorne and contempt of it Some selfe-respect may hold him in a while but hee hardly growes in the want of Discipline and in termes of liberty Lastly doest thou continue in growth and fruits A whistling winde makes rotten fruits come tumbling downe though they seeme beautifull so is tribulation to glorious Christians it makes all the fruits of hypocrites fall off and come to nothing But in sound growth of grace not so much as the leaues wither or fall off Psalm 1.3 because there is a continuall supply of moisture of grace a Well flowes in his belly to eternall life Iob for all his trials will perseuere in his vprightnesse And if Satan shall winnow as wheate Christ shall pray that thy faith and fruits faile not These are sure notes of triall whether our growth be sound and gotten beyond that of hypocrites noted in the Text. It stands vs all in hand to try our selues whether we be sound in faith and not to content our selues with profession or outward reformation If Reprobates be before vs where is our comfort what our portion If Herod heare and bee damned if he doe many things reuerence Iohn and the like and thou heare not reforme little or nothing contemne the meanes c. what canst thou thinke will become of thee Lastly what comfort can it be to come behinde the diuell who beleeues and trembles or Iudas who confesseth his sin makes restitution and seemes to be gracious It withered away because it lacked moisture HAuing spoken of the successe of this seed cast into the stony ground in the commendable hopes it gaue in the beginning Now we proceed to the lamentable and dolefull successe in the conclusion with the reason of it both in the words now read vnto you 1. It withered away 2. Because it lacked moisture But that which our Euangelist here shortly setteth downe as the reason of this withering wee haue more at large in the other Euangelists who being laid together affoord vs the causes in this order Some are Inward 1. Positiue hardnesse stoninesse 2. Priuatiue want of 1. Moysture in Text. 2. Earth Mar. 4.5 3. Roots vers 6. ibid. Outward Persecution Math. 13.21 Tentation Luk. 8.13 First of the withering of these glorious Professors then of the causes This withering is a falling away but not all at once but by little and little as a leafe loseth his greennesse and flourish and withers by

wee would thanke him heartily and looke to our selues carefully Now the Lord in this Text telleth vs of a great deceiuer that aimes to spoyle vs of great things Why then should we not be thankfull to him and take warning Why should we not beleeue him but be willingly cōtinually and senselesly deceiued not so much by the craft of the Aduersary as our own simplicity corruptiō And voluptuous liuing or pleasures The third sort of thornes which choke the Word are pleasures and delights Where two questions offer themselues to our consideration for the opening of the matter Quest. 1. Whether are all pleasures condemned or no Answ. Pleasures are of two kinds some heauenly others earthly In the former there is no danger but we are euery where in Scripture called to them as we shall see hereafter Our Text speakes of the latter Quest. 2. Whether are all earthly pleasures condemned Answ. No for 1. Adam in innocency was furnished aboue all men now liuing with pleasures and delights in that Garden of pleasure 2. Since the Fall the Lord hath still deckt the earth with most delectable flowres in their seuerall beauties and varieties of colours and smells to delight the senses of man And he hath filled the aire with sweet and melodious birds 3. The Lord that could now feed vs with one kinde of meate as Israel in the Wildernesse allowes vs much variety of the creatures for our honest delight And though hee could preserue vs with water yet he allowes vs more pleasant drink and in our feasts giues vs wine in varieties Yea himselfe hath giuen skill to workemen to make curious musicall Instruments to delight men with their sweet musike and harmony 4. Hee hath allowed men according to their estate and place to inioy many worldly pleasures It was the blessing of Assur Gen. 49.20 that hee should giue pleasures for a King that is his Countrey should abound with delicate fruits acceptable and fit for Kings In which phrase we see that Kings haue more right to inioy pleasures than ordinary men and Deut. 33.24 He shall dip his foot in oyle 5. The Lord himselfe appointeth some festiuities and solemne feasts in which a more liberall and delightfull vse of the creatures is requisite as Nehem. 8.10 Goe and eate of the fat and drinke of the sweet for this is a day holy vnto the Lord. 6. The Spirit of God concludeth though some learned otherwise expound it as the Atheists speech brought in by a Prosopopoeia Eccles. 3. vlt. that nothing is better than that a man should reioyce in his affaires for that is his portion And who is worthy to enioy Gods blessings about him in wife children family calling and estate that doth not reioyce in the same So as the thing which our Text and this whole ensuing treatise condemneth is not any lawfull and allowed pleasure of any kinde but that pleasure which choketh the Word of God as thornes doe seed whether vnlawfull pleasures or lawfull pleasures vnlawfully vsed Which I would haue obserued by the way to remoue a scandall cast vpon Religion and godly life that it is altogether vnpleasant and heauie and strips a man of all delight This is not so But first All the wayes of wisedome are wayes of pleasure Prou. 3.17 Secondly godlinesse takes not away any earthly pleasure nor the vse of Gods mercies but orders and moderates and sweetens them Doctr. The preuailing of earthly ioyes and carnall pleasures choketh the Word and hindreth saluation An example we haue in Eue whose pleasure of the eye choked all that Word of God which shee had learned and repeated but euen then to the Serpent And in Herod he heard Iohn gladly reuerenced him and did many things Mark 6.20 but the pleasure of his brothers wife made him cast Iohn in prison yea and behead him too which he added aboue all his sinnes Iudg. 16.17 Samson had vndertaken a most sacred profession of the Nazarites in which he was a most eminent type of Christ. While hee kept the law of his profession not cutting his haire the mighty power of God was with him and for him But that impotent and base lust and sottish attending his pleasure in Delilahs lap how did it make him forget the Law of God and so inslaue him as hee must needs tell her all that was in his heart till God was gone from him 1. Tim. 5.6 11. What made the widowes to breake their faith giuen to Christ but wantonnesse and liuing in pleasures Obiect These are dishonest and vnlawfull pleasures and lusts these must needs choke the Word But doe lawfull pleasures doe so too Answ. Yes wee shall see euen in those that had ●ound godlinesse how euen lawfull pleasures choked the Word and cast them backe in the way of God How the loue of pleasant meate set the loue of good Isaac vpon him whom God hated see Genes 25.28 And Salomon tells vs the danger of prouing the heart with pleasures Eccles. 2.2 they brought him to bee mad with them these were honest and lawfull pleasures but himselfe tells vs that as they entred into the heart so godlinesse decayed For as theeues set vpon true men to rob and bind them so pleasures assaulting good men binde them and rob them yea often wound them onely kill them not And hence it is that in the profession of Religion some are found louers of pleasure more than of God 2. Tim. 3.4 and holding a forme of godlinesse and proclaiming a defiance of vain pleasure are yet so moyled and intangled with them as they grow heauie in good duties and drawne on with the perswasions of these pleasing Orators Had not the Disciples renounced all for Christ Yes Master wee haue forsaken all and followed thee But yet doe wee not see them long who should be superiour and contend for greatnesse one with another and affect pompe and high place euen in the Kingdome of God where the smallest is the greatest Reasons 1. Pleasures make that men cannot attend the Word Some are so carried away with sports that neither weeke-day nor scarce the Sabbath can draw them away to any better duty Their delights are so fastened in their hearts as nothing can fasten on them Their thoughts doe so attend vpon pleasures that all other thoughts tending to the bettering of their estate are vnpleasing 2. They make that men cannot conceiue the Word aright The Word offereth pleasures at Gods right hand which is an obiect of faith But the man trampled on by pleasures becomes sensuall and iudgeth of all things spoken by his corrupt sense and carnall reason For his desire is to heare not what is best but what is sweetest 3. Pleasures where they doe preuaile make men securely contemne the Word They cast the heart on sleepe and make it vnwatchfull against the threats of God Amos 6.1 3. Woe to them that are at ease in Sion that put farre off the euill day and approch to the

it selfe to God 3. It hath no care commonly of his grounds of Religion and so runnes 〈…〉 still is wauering and 〈…〉 in what Religion he meanes to 〈…〉 betweene God and Baal and sees no 〈…〉 betweene true Religion and Pope●● 〈…〉 of one trumpet would make them as forward Pap●●●s as now they are Protestants 4. It can pretend Gods glory and Gods ends but intend the owne ends Herod pretends to come and worship Christ but intends to kill him Iezabel can make Religion a pretext for her foulest fact of murdering an Innocent so can Papists finely in ordine ad Deum and to promote the Catholike cause raise Massacres c. 1. Sam. 2.22 Women professing great sanctity by comming to the Temple polluted themselues with wicked Priests It were a sinne to say so of holy Popish Priests and their pure Nunnes 5. It will haue a Religion for fashion or shew but loue it not promote it not no not in their owne families scarce professe it for present reproach or after-claps but zeale and forwardnesse were madnesse as Festus said to Paul and to become an hatefull Puritan They frame not their actions to the rules of Christian Religion but are loose vnsauory earthly in all their courses they will lose nothing for it Christ shall lose the glory of Heauen for them and so farre they like their Religion but they will not lose crummes of earth for his sake 6. An euill heart can make a profession of Religion and scorne the Professors reuile them as a packe of hypocrites But our Sauiour packs such out of his number saying They that are with vs cannot lightly speake euill of vs Mark 9.39 Now of the markes of a good heart in respect of the meanes by which this true Religion is vpheld And first of the Word and Sacraments The equity of carefulnesse in these stands in these reasons 1. Because a good heart cannot heare God himselfe speake nor enioy such neere and immediate fellowship with him as it desires it is most glad to enioy him through the grates of the Word and Sacraments to heare him speake by his Messenger to reade his letters and be enriched with such pledges of his loue which therein he includeth to his sonnes and daughters Thus doth a faithfull Spouse to him absent whom her soule loueth 2. Because these Ordinances proceed from the holy Spirit of God and are meanes appoynted for the sanctification of the Elect a good heart will neuer heare or reade the Scriptures nor speake of them but with great reuerence It dares not profane the sacred Scriptures vsing them vainely or wickedly as in iests playes charmes neither dares it come to the Sacrament without due examination preparation instruction correction or strength and consolation in the course of Christianity 2. Tim. 3.16 3. Because the good heart sees his continuall need it is carefull in the continuall vse of the means of grace It sees hardnesse of heart still stealing on it It discernes spirituall weaknesse and fainting of soule It feeles many conflicts of the flesh against the spirit It is acquainted with the thrusts and temptations of Satan It sees the health of the soule stand in these refreshings and the strength of the heart decaying without them as the body doth without repayre And therefore it still relieues it selfe by the Word Sacraments Prayer and the like Psalm 119.28 My heart melteth for heauinesse raise me vp according to thy Word vers 92. Had it not been for thy Word I had perished in my trouble 4. Because it conceiues God a Spirit and his Ordinances spirituall therefore in performing these it neuer contents it selfe with the outward deed alone but especially aymes at soundnesse and sincerity in the manner of doing Psalm 119.80 Let my heart be vpright in thy statutes All is out of sence and conscience not for shame fashion custome law or vaine ostentation But now in speciall for the Word preached A good heart makes great conscience of it as is great reason 1. Because it sees the Word preached only able to bruise a stony heart to tame melt and cause to tremble a secure heart as Felix Esa. 66.2 that trembleth at my Word Acts 16.24 The Iaylor came trembling and shiuering as hauing a strong Ague in his conscience Also it is of power to open a shut conscience as Dauids by Nathan 2. Because the preaching of the Word reueales the vnsearchable riches of Christ Ephes. 3.8 and brings into acquaintance with him This is the hammer by which Christ standing at the dore of the heart knocks and if any open he comes in and suppes with him Christ not onely inuites him to a feast but feeds him with his owne flesh and blood and he with Christ that is a fruitfull Hearer of the Word entertaines Christ calls him as the Church Cant. 4.16 to a feast in his Garden to eate of his pleasant things Christ is feasted when he tastes the sweet fruits of repentance faith mortification and obedience wrought by the preaching of the Word Nay it makes vs of neere kindred with Christ his father his mother his brethren and sisters Luk. 8.21 3. Because the Word preached brings in the Spirit of God with his sauing graces being the chariot of the Spirit by which hee rides gloriously into the hearts of Beleeuers God who can giue his Spirit without it ordinarily doth not He could haue taught Cornelius without Peters so tedious a iourney but Cornelius must attend Peters Ministery and while Peter was yet speaking the holy Ghost fell on them all Acts 10.44 But see it in speciall sauing graces first illumination is by preaching Acts 8.31 The Eunuch cannot vnderstand without an interpreter he must ioyne himselfe to Philip. Secondly faith comes by hearing Rom. 10.14 and by the foolishnesse of preaching God will saue them that beleeue 1. Cor. 1.21 Neither can actuall faith be without some measure of actuall knowledge Thirdly the feare of God is wrought by preaching Rom. 8.15 the spirit of feare is wrought by the Ministery of the Law shewing sinne distinctly the curse due to it and our owne guiltinesse And by the Gospell is wrought that childlike feare by the spirit of adoption by which now we feare to offend God as before to be offended and reuenged on by him Fourthly peace of conscience and a sweete ioy in God is wrought hereby Psalm 51.8 Let me heare the voyce of gladnesse that the broken bones may reioyce Lastly the Word preached brings in not onely this life of grace but that of glory Act. 11.14 Send for Peter to Ioppa and he shall speake words whereby both thou and thy house shall be saued And therefore is it called the Word of life and saluation In these and other regards a good heart is a conscionable Hearer 1. It prepares it selfe as a fit casket or storehouse to lay the Word in conceiuing it the most precious iewell and richest pearle in all the world