Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A93510
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Some plain directions for the more profitable hearing of the vvord preached, together with the lets and hinderances that do usually keep people from profiting by hearing and also many characters and clear symptoms of good and profitable hearers; with severall arguments perswading a Christian to take heed how he hears; containing the heads of some sermons lately preached by the most unworthy of Christs servants in the ministery, and now printed for the further benefit of his flock.
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1650
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Wing S4554; Thomason 669.f.15[42]; ESTC R211965
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4,441
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Some plain Directions for the more profitable hearing of the VVord Preached together with the Lets and hinderances that do usually keep people from profiting by Hearing and also many Characters and clear Symptoms of good and profitable Hearers with severall Arguments perswading a Christian to take heed how he hears containing the heads of some Sermons lately Preached by the most unworthy of Christs Servants in the Ministery and now Printed for the further benefit of his Flock LUKE 8. 18. Take heed therefore how yee Hear VVHat ought to be every mans chiefest care A. To sanctifie the name of the Lord i. e. in the heart to love fear and obey God because he is holy and in the life and conversation to hold forth the glorious holiness of God Q. By whom will God be Sanctified A. By all those that come nigh him Levit. 10. 3. i. e. that have to deal with God in the duties of his worship which are especially these three Hearing of the Word Receiving the Sacrament Prayer Q. How may a Christian come duly to worship God in the hearing of the Word A. He must take heed how he hears Luk. 8. 18. take such heed as to become a profitable hearer to which end he must beware of some things and practice others Things that we must beware of if we would hear profitably 1. An unprepared rushing into the presence of God at this holy Ordinance not first seeking to him by prayer who hath the preparations of the heart Pro. 16. 1. 2. Having the heart like the high-way side or like the rockie and thorny ground Luk. 8. 12 13 14. 3. Having of Ears indisposed for hearing i. e. when they are unboared uncircumcised viz. not brought unto a strict and punctuall obedience to the voice of God in his word but remains still ignorant and disobedient or when they are Itching Ears i. e. such as cannot endure the truth and sound Doctrine but turn aside to fables and delight in novelties 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. Act. 17. 21. 4. Hardness of heart Exod. 7. 13. Psal. 95. 7. A hard heart is a heart not willing to believe and cleave to the command of God but is loath to hear the Law and the words of the Lord of Hosts Zech 7. 11 12. 5. Framing excuses and shifting off the Word from the heart and conscience as in Luke 14. 18 24. Heb. 12. 25. 6. Want of Faith Heb. 4. 2. the word being not mixed i. e. joyned accompanied with or received by faith doth not profit them that hear it 7. Forgetfulness being forgetfull hearers Letting the word slip Jam. 12. 5. Heb. 2. 1. 8. Long absence from the word preached the sound of it being long from the ear a Christian is too apt to forget what should be the behaviour of his soul in hearing Things to be practised by those that would become profitable hearers viz. 1. Somewhat before hearing 2. Something in hearing and 3. After hearing And first for the things before hearing 1. Being placed under a godly and painful Minister which is very requisite Rom. 10. 14. then propose to your selves good ends of your coming to hear viz. to wait on God in this his Ordinance for the conveying the graces of his holy Spirit into the Soul 2. Lay apart all Filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness Jam. 1. 21. i. e. all manner of sin so called from the polluting nature thereof All kind of evil thoughts and evill affections and whatsoever abounds in the heart opposing the work of grace Psal. 26. 6. 3. Prepare your hearts to the Lord earnestly beseeching him to make them good ground fit to receive his holy Word which is 1. By pulling up the Thorns i. e. lusts and corruptions which naturally grow in the heart as deep as thorns in the ground 2. By Ploughing of the fallow ground of the heart Jer. 4. 3. Which is by a soul-humiliation for all ignorance of God and sinfulness of the heart 3. By making the heart to become an honest and good heart which is excelling the high-way side rockie and thorny ground Luk. 8. 12 13 14. allowing of nothing that stands in opposition to the Word but seeks meerly the Glory of God Pray before you come to hear knowing that it is God onely that can make the deaf to hear Mar 7. 37. Exod. 4. 11. He onely can tell how to awaken the Ear Isa. 50. 4 5. i. e. to inure the soul to obedience to do his work and fulfill his will in all things 4. As you are going to the Congregation remember 1. To keep your hearts from the world minding no earthly business 2. To think how that you are going to meet with the great God of heaven to deal about the eternall estate of your souls 3. Think on some fit portion of Scripture as Psal. 42. 1 2. 5. Be sure to make your timely appearance to joyn with the Congregation in seeking God by prayer for a blessing on your hearing be present ready to hear as Act. 10. 33. 2. Things to be observed in time of hearing or the qualifications of hearing the Word Preached 1. Hear Reverently receive it as the Word of God and not as the word of men 1 Thes. 2. 13. 2. Understandingly i. e. with the ear of the mind being able to try the spirit and to search whether things are so Mat. 13. 19. ver. 9. 1 Joh. 4. 1. Act. 17. 11. 3. Diligently and heedfully i. e. giving good heed both to the matter and method of the Sermon Isa. 55. 2. 4. Chearfully readily swiftly gladly Jam. 1. 19. Act. 2. 41. Desiring the sincere milk of the Word 1 Pet. 2. 2. coming to the Word preached with a better stomack then to daily food Job 23. 12. 5. Tremblingly with a godly fear Deut. 13. 11. Isa. 66. 5. and need there is thus to hear because there is more of God to be seen in his Word then in all his works besides Psal. 138. 2. 6. Meekly Receive the Word with Meekness Jam. 1. 21. 1 Pet. 2. 2. be like little Infants for meekness with quietness of Spirit attending on the Word and like good Josias 2 Kings 22. 19. with a tender heart 7. Believingly 1 Thes. 2. 13. Believe both the promises and menaces in the Word for it works effectually onely in them that believe 8. Repentingly i. e. hear so as to repent and turn by hearing Jer. 26. 3. 44. 5. 25. 5. Repentance is the very end of the Gospels preaching Mat. 3. 1 2 3. 9. Obediently lovingly pleasingly Isa. 50. 5. closing in with the truths delivered saying Amen to them 1 Cor. 14. 16. Colos. 1. 16. 2 Thes. 2. 10. 10. Resolvedly with a strong resolution to hear universally Josh. 1. 16. Job 34. 32. Act. 3. 22. 11. Applyingly not onely applying the minde in a diligent attention Pro. 2. 2. 22. 17. but also making a particular application of every truth unto the soul 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. 12. Independently not resting on the
bare hearing of the word but in this Ordinance onely waiting on God for the conveyance of some spirituall good to the soul 13. Reteiningly as it comes in lay it up in the heart Luk. 1. 66. 2. 51. 8. 15. Psal. 119. 11. Things to be observed after hearing 1. Be sure not to depart the Congregation before the blessing blessing of God by Prayer and hearing the blessing pronounced by the Minister Numb. 6. 23 27. 2. As you are going to your houses if in company discourse of the Sermon if alone Meditate Psal. 71 24. 77. 12. Psal. 105. 2. 3. When you are come home sit down a little and meditate chew the cud as it were on your spirituall meat then pray unto God that he would convert it to spirituall nourishment 4. If Parents or Masters c. call on your relations help them putting them in mind of some most seasonable truth delivered Gen. 18. 19. Josh 24. 15. 5 Put all into practice hold forth the word of life in your lives all your days Phil. 2 16. Signs and Characters of good Hearers 1. They hear profitably who have Ears to hear Revel. 2. 7. i. e. such as have spirituall ears of the mind such as God by his spirit hath opened to hear what he saith Isa. 50. 4 2 Such as come to Christ Joh 6. 45. i. e. such as have true faith and draw neer in a full assurance Heb. 10. 22. he that hath heard believingly and can find that faith is wrought in the heart by hearing Joh 5. 24 Rom. 10. 17. 3. Such as hear the word gladly and receive it with readiness of mind Act. 2. 41. 17. 11. such a gladness which proceeds not from the apprehension of any carnal excellencies accompanying the word but meerly from thy pureness and holiness that is in the word Psa. 119. 140. 4. Such as have their hearts burning within them Luke 24. 32. i. e. whilest they are hearing are inwardly moved by a divine fervour of Gods Holy Spirit so as to believe and shew an awfull respect to the Word preached 5. Such as are pricked at the heart Acts 2. 37. i. e. who in hearing the word inviting to repentance promising grace to the penitent do by this means come to have a broken rent and bleeding heart bleeding at a right vein and at a right time Act. 16. 14 Joel 2. 13. 6. Such as are courteous and hospitable to the faithfull preachers of the Gospel this was the good effect of the opening Lydia's heart profitably to attend to the word preached by Paul Act. 16. 14. 15. 7. Such as stand fast in shaking times either from the world or Devill Mat. 7. 24. Colos. 1. 23. and are not carried away by strangers that seek to destroy their souls Joh. 10. 5. 27. 8. Such as have honest and good hearts Luk. 8. 15. i e. hearts dealing fairly with God in all things at all times and willing to receive what God reveals 9. Such as have devoted themselves to serve the Lord for ever that have as the servant under the Law Ears boared i. e. brought unto a punctuall obedience to their Master Christs Commands Exod. 21. 6. ARGVMENTS Arguments to perswade people to take such heed to to their hearing as to become good and profitable hearers Three sorts of Arguments 1. Some more generall 2. Some drawn from the great gain and advantage there is by a profitable hearing 3. From the great danger there is in heedless hearing The first sort of Arguments 1. God commands it he longs for it it was Christs councel and the Ministers bespeak it Deut. 32. 46. Psa. 81. 8. 13. Luk. 8. 18. 2. This is the practice of the Church Act. 8. 6. 3. The Lord complains of those that do not Isa. 1. 2. Joh. 8. 37. 4. God is ready to bow incline open his Ear and cause it to hear Psal. 10. 17. 40. 1. 116. 2. 5. The number of profitable hearers is but very small Isa. 53. 1. Joh. 5. 43. 1 Cor. 1. 23. 6 It is Christ that speaks in the preaching of the word Heb. 1. 1 2 3. Mat. 10. 20. 7. Consider the weightiness of the matter and how much it doth concern you Jam. 1. 21. Deut. 32. 46 47. 8. Profitable hearing is the glory of Ministers here and it will glad them at the last day 1 Thes. 2. 19 20. Phil. 2. 16. The second sort of Arguments 1. A profitable hearing c. is recorded as a thing well pleasing to God commended as wel-doing 2 Pet. 18 19. 2. The word will smell sweet to such 2 Cor. 2. 16. 3. They shall understand the fear of the Lord and be truly wise Pro. 2. 1 2 5. 4. They shall be blessed Luk 11. 28. Jam. 1. 25. Rev. 1 3. 5. It will to the comfort of the soul manifest these seven things viz. that he is 1. Of God Joh. 8. 47. 2. A Saint Deut. 33. 3. 3. Of Christs sheep Joh 10. 16. 4. That he stands neerly related to Christ as a brother c. Lu. 8. 21. 5. That he is elected 1 Th. 1. 4. 5. 6 Justified Ro. 2. 13. 7. That he shal be everlastingly saved Ro. 10. 6 8 9 10. The third sort of Arguments 1. Heedless hearers deceive their own souls Jam. 1. 22. 2. They cannot expect support in time of trouble Psal. 119 92. 3. Shall never tast the sweetness of the word Luk. 14. 24. 4. The Lord will blast those parts and abilities they have Lu. 8. 18. Their blessing will be tuâ—nd to cursings Mal. 2. 2. 5. They shall not escape Heb. 12. 25. 2. 3. 6. God will come in flaming fire against such 2 Thes. 1. 8. 7. The word they reject shall judge them Joh. 12. 48. 8. Their punishment shall be greater then theirs who did never hear the word Mat. 11. 22. 9. A Negligent hearing will to the terror of a poor soul plainly manifest five things 1. That he is but a fool Mat. 7. 26. 2. That he is under the judgements of God Deut. 29. 4. 3. That he is in a lost condition 2 Cor. 4. 3. 4. That the Lord hath a purpose to destroy him 2 Chron. 25. 16. 5. That he is nigh to cursing Heb. 4. 12. The word will make quick work May the 22. 1650. Imprimatur JOSEPH CARYL London Printed by Robert White and are to be sold at his House upon Adling-hill