Christ finding him Preaching to the People they hearkned unto him with that earnest and diligent attention that they had quite forgot to put in execution that which was given them in charge by the Pharisees And being demanded by them why did ye not bring him along with you they returned this Answer Never man spake like this man The glorious Doctor Saint Augustine before that he had unwinded himselfe out of the error of the Manichees he went on purpose to heare Saint Ambrose but not with any intention to give any credit to his Doctrine but onely to please his Eares with the Elegancy of his Phrase and being ravished with the sweetnesse of his expressions had his Heart taken as well as his Eare his attention supplyed the fault of his intention this was that putting of a Knife to the throat The Apostle Saint Paul goes a little further and calls Gods word not onely Cultrum but Gladium not a Knife but a Sword Take unto thee the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God that thy Soule be not distracted with the troublesome businesses of this world freeing it from all worldly cares and molestations The fourth is Audire cum conservatione to heare with a retention and to lay up the Word in our Hearts to locke it up in the closet of our Soules and so Blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keep it The Physitian despaires of that Patients Stomacke that cannot keep its meat but throwes it up as soon as it receives it So he that hears a Sermon should retire himselfe into his Chamber and there imprint it in his memory Many take no pleasure in Flowers or care any further for them then to look upon them to smell at them and to have them in their Hands while they are sweet and fresh and lovely and then throw them by but the Bee drawes from them both honey and was So many heares Sermons for pleasure for delicacy of words for gravity of Sentences and for gracefulnesse in the delivery but this is but to make a Nosegay to smell at for a while and presently to cast it away but we must heare with retention we must seale it up in the coffers of our Remembrance For blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keep it And now having learnt how to behave our selves in the House of the Lord our God in his Publick Service and Worship and particularly how to comport our selves in the Hearing of the Word both to our Comfort and Profit We come now to the greatest and the most excellent service that God requires of us and that is Prayer which is that very Art of Arts that adornes a Christian And David saith That the holinesse of the Temple consisted in the Prayers which then had their force there And here you see That the Assembly gathered into the House of the Lord their exercise there is Sighing Sobbing Praying Crying Cry unto the Lord. And to this the Angels whet on our diligence and the Lord himselfe by Prayer permits us familiarly to poure out our hearts before him for Prayer is nothing else but an opening of our hearts in the presence of God and the best remedy we have to releeve our cares anguishes miseries oppressions and troubles is to lay them all up in his bosome Cast thy burthen upon the Lord saith David and he shall nourish thee And therefore whensoever we feele our selves deprived o◠Gods benefits towards us whensoever we finde a want or 〈◊〉 with holding of Gods wonted favour and mercy from us by reason of our sins whensoever the height of our sinnes brings downe the weight of Gods Judgement upon us whether it be by Plague Famine Warre or any other calamity let us run to this House and importune the God of glory and compassion for this is the onely businesse of this Fast and of this Solemne Meeting which brings us to the last Circumstance in the Method or Order And cry unto the Lord. Good cause had all this People to figh and weep and cry continually for their Land was russeted with a bloodlesse Famine And for us of this Land Lamen 2.1 c. How hath the Lord darkened the Daughter of Zion in his wrath and hath cast downe the beauty of Israel and remembred not his foot-stoole in the day of his wrath He hath cut off in his fierce wrath all the herne of Israel he hath drawne backe his right hand and a Fire was kindled in Jacob which devoured round about he hath bent his Bow like an Enemy his right kand was stretched out as an Adversary He hath despised in the indignation of his wrath the King and the Priest So that well may we take up a lamentation such as was not in the dayes of our Fathers for alas no lamentation can proportion our affliction so that a Deluge of Teares is little enough for the Ocean of our miseries Let then sorrow be our individuall companion with this we begun with this let us end nay never let us make an end of mourning for the abominations of this Land and let us all learne that last lesson of our Saviour to weep for our selves to weep for our sins And for this cause I shall still leade you on with paces of lamentation to the House of mourning where we are to cry unto the Lord. We will stay no longer to look upon the behaviour of this People whose teares did not onely runne downe like a River Day and Night but their very Hearts cryed unto the Lord They poured forth their Hearts like Water before the face of the Lord they lifted up their Hands towards him for the lives of their young Children that fainted for hunger in the Corners of all their Streets the services they brought unto the Lord were not onely Prayers but Teares they did not onely Pray but Cry And since we have so sinned and have been so punished doth it not now concern us and is it not now high time for us to betake our selves unto this Sanctuary of Prayer nay what manner of Prayers should we now send up to Heaven surely not such as most what we use to make such cold and frigid ones as if they were onely for fashion sake and as if there were an indifferency in us whether or no they found acceptation from the Lord and People that are in the fiery Furnace of affliction under the torrid Zone of Heauens indignation to be so luke-warme nay so very cold in their Devotions what doth this argue but either desperation that their praying is to no purpose or else mindlesnesse under the heavy hand of God whereas there is no better meanes for the removing of this Hand then Prayer For what sin doeth Prayer undoeth especially fervent Prayer Therefore the sins of our Nation being so great and loud as that the cry of them hath brought downe such horrible Vengeance upon us who can tell whether the cry of humble Prayer unto
may gather three other Rules which in a speciall manner fit us for a decent behaviour in Gods House 1. We should alwayes be as green Olive-trees in the House of the Lord But I shall be like a green Olive tree in the House of God For howsoever it goe with men in the world yet when we come before the Lord our hearts should rejoyce and revive and our spirits be fresh and cheerfull and our affections should be healed of all the cares and distempers that were in them before Gods Ordinances should have such a power over us as to make a suddaine fresh spring of desires and holy thoughts in us there is that power in the Ordinances of God to effect this if the fault be not in us I meane when these Ordinances are exercised in the power and life of them Let us then rejoyce to have a place among the servants of God that we may grow in the knowledge of godlinesse and be like green Olive-trees in the House of God 2. We must trust in the mercy of God For I trusted in the mercy of God for ever and ever bringing an heart ready to beleevâ— every good Word of God and resolving that if the Lord will speak comfortably to his servants we will not dishonour his consolations through carelesnesse and unbeleefe but receive them with all our hearts and establish our selves in the safe keeping of his good word Let us trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever 3. We must resolve to be thankfull I will alwayes prayse thee for that thou hast done Let us be thankfull with all earnestnesse for all experiences of Gods presence and goodnesse towards us in the means vowing with David to prayse him for ever for them and if the Lord doe with-hold hiâ— power and presence for a time so as we feele not the effectualnesse of his Ordinances yet we should resolve withouâ— distemper to wait upon the Lord and observe him according to the seasons of his grace and alwayes prayse him for that he hath done Thus having hitherto endevoured to tye you all to such good behaviour in the House of the Lord in all your publick service and worship of God as shall become the glory of his presence wishing that these my weak and unskilfull labours might wooe some more excellent Wits and more skilfull Pens to better this Discourse so needfull to be sounded in our Ears in these unhappy and unmannerly times wherein so many come so saweily and irreverently into the presence of the God of glory never once considering with Jacob How dreadfull is this Place and that this is no other but the House of God I shall now likewise endeavour to tye you all to the good-behaviour in your hearing of the Word of God for which these three directions will order you aright whereof some will bind us to the good-behaviour before we come to heare some at the time of hearing and some after we have heard 1. Before we come to heare We must bring with us two things First A resolution to deny our own wits reasons opinions and conceits and empty our heads of all perswasion of our own skill to judge of the things of God being ready to beleeve and think in all things as God shall teach us out of his Word 1 Cor. 3.18 We must be fools that we may be wise humbling our selves at his very feet to receive his law Deut. 33.3 They are humbled at thy feet to receive thy words Secondly We must bring with us a meek and quiet spirit a mind quieted from passions and perturbations and at rest from the turmoiling cares of this world The Word is able to doe great things in us if we receive it with meeknesse Wherefore lay apart all filthinesse and superfluity of naughtinesse and receive with meekenesse the ingrafted Word which is able to save your soules James 1.21 2. At the time of hearing two things are to be observed First We must hearken without distraction we must heare as it were for our lives we must incline our Ears and shake off all impediments arising from our own drowsinesse or vain thoughts or distracting objects Encline your Eares and come unto me heare and your soule shall live Isay 53.3 For indeed the Preaching of the Word saveth the soule it is able to make the soule immortall if it be once ingrafted in us For this cause the Word is called 1 Pet 1.23 Incorruptible Seed that endureth for ever because it maketh us incorruptible and happy for ever for he that hath his soule saved liveth for evermore Now would you be sharers in this unspeakable blessednesse the Word must then be ingrafted in your hearts this heavenly plant of the Word must be set into your understandings and affections for when a man heareth the VVord with understanding it entreth into the heart as the impe into the stocke and when with love and affection he imbraceth it it is closed about that it may grow and prosper therein but this Word cannot be ingrafted in our hearts except the heart first be cleansed sin must be put out that the VVord may be ingrafted in the filthinesse of sin and all the sprouts of malice must be put away of harsh hasty and churlish we must become meek milde Mat. 18.2.3 and gentle The Disciples must become like little Children that is they must put away those evill affections of Envy Pride deceit c. which grow upon them with yeares otherwise they should but follow and heare their Master in vaine the VVord could not be ingrafted in them to save their soules You may see the Prophet Isaiah reproving the Jewes Isa 1.16 That they came to holy duties in their sins So that first of all there must be a putting away the evill of their doings and then a comming together to heare the Lord to their comfort No wise man will sow his Corne or plant his delicate Fruit-trees but will have the bryars and thornes first taken away and whatsoever filthy stuffe may hinder the prospering of his seed and thriving of his plants He will not poure Wine or Milke into filthy Vessels Every man cleares his Table books of the old writing when he intends to put in any new matter Now the VVord of God is seed the Preaching of it is a Planting it is VVine and Milke and a writing in the table of mens hearts all filthinesse of sin therefore must be removed this ground must be cleared from the bryars of Anger Hatred c. that the VVord may be Planted in we must like the Disciples and the first Christians leave off all that we may attend the VVord of God we must put away worldly things which cause pollution in the heart we must be like Zacheus Luke 19.8 who that he might heare Christ to his salvation put away Extortion Bribery and Oppression Or like the beleeving Ephesians Acts 19.19 who put away their curious Arts Or like Saul
whosoever doth desire the word to be saved thereby let him tremble at it and yet embrace it let him prepare his heart better to entertaine it let him stirre up the spirit of his mind to understand it let him not lose such precious seed for want of harrowing in by due Meditation and let him cherish it in his inward thoughts continually that it may grow and prosper and more shew it selfe in his speeches actions and company then those bryar-like sprouts of his owne naturall corruptions Secondly we must see to it that we be doers of the word as well as hearers we must not onely know but observe and doe for Knowledge without Practice will availe nothing and so much of the truth as is put into practice is sure for ever the rest may be lost and it is a singular help to a Christian to set upon his obedience while the Doctrine is yet fresh in his mind for delay will compasse him about with many difficulties and he will want those inward incitations that might stirre up his heart with power and strength to obey And that this is the duty of every man as well to doe as to heare James 1.22 Rom. 2.6 see that in Saint James Now ye heare these things blessed are ye if ye doe them And Saint Paul saith That every man shall be judged not by his hearing but by his doing by his works Then up and be doing every one of you whilst time and strength permits for not onely that Fig-tree which had no Fruit was accursed but that Tree likewise which brought not forth good Fruit was to be hewen downe and cast into the Fire Luke 3.9 And those who have not fed the poor and clothed the naked c. will be bidden Depart ye oursed into everlasting fire Mat. 25.41 Then what shall become of those shadows and Ciphers among Christians who place their Religion onely in hearing surely they want all substance of grace and being put into the Ballance as Belshazzar was they shall certainly be found too light when the rewarding of every one shall be according to his works then can they expect nothing but tribulation and anguish which shall be to every soule that doth evill And it is to be feared if inquisition were made more then our common sort might be taxed for this neglect in doing even some of those who pretend a great deale of Zeale to the Word and are frequent and attentive hearers and will runne to Meetings and make glorious shewes of Devotion giving Religion a thousand good words but for this duty of doing procul absit they have no heart unto it Covetousnesse still prevailes in them and some of them who would be thought rare Professors can perhaps sometimes be content to drinke a draught of stollen Waters as well as others making Religion a pretext onely the more covertly to wallow in the mire of their sins but such Kind of Professors what Zeale soever they may shew to the world are but Painted Christians beautifull onely outward and woe unto them that are such for notwithstanding all their glistering shewes they are but whited Sepulchers and comely out sides not like unto Christs Spouse all glorious within but full of rottennesse and corruption But as for you be you both hearers and doers alter you the course of your lives breake off your sins shake off the bands of Sathan dissolve the Cloudes of your iniquities fly wickednesse shun evill doe well doe good and aspire to such perfection in doing the will of your God as that you may not onely cease from evill but fill your lives with good workes and thus shall you be blessed ipso facto in the very deed for he that doth the Word is blessed he is no longer under the Curse a Vassall of wrath and a Child of perdition but blessed with Gods favour and love and in the certaine way to that unspeakable happinesse that shall hereafter be revealed But he that heateth the Word and doth it not deceives himselfe cheats and cousens his own soule and is but a forgetfull Foole a very Childe and no Man he dallieth with the Word as a Babe with a Looking glasse beholding it not for any end but to sport it selfe therewith never intending any thing about the Face to rectifie it or to set it in order Saint John doth divide the whole world into two sorts of Persons Qui ex Deo est non peccat Qui peccat ex Diabolo est The Children of God and the Children of the Devill the one hears Gods Word the other heares it not He that is of God heareth Gods Word John 8.47 Ye therefore heare it not because ye are not of God And to be hearers of the Word of God is a great pledge or testification that we are the Children of God especially our hearing of Gods word being accompanied with these foure concurring Circumstances The first is Audire to heare the word Blessed are they that heare the Word of God this is the first step and he that doth not put a Foot forward to this he is not to be accounted a Child of God The second is Audire cum frequentia to heare the word frequently and often The Earth that is extraordinary dry and scorched with heat the drops of water which it receiveth it turneth into Toads So he that seldome frequents Sermons it is to be scared they worke little good upon him if not turne to his hurt For the word of God is the Soules sustenance and being Ministred slowly it is no marvaile if the Soule not onely grow leane but fall into a Consumption The third is Audire cum attentione to heare diligently and with attention freeing the Soule from all worldly incumbrances for as the Eye cannot joyntly and at once behold both Heaven and Earth so the Soule cannot attentively at one and the same time behold the things of the world and of God If any Man love the World the love of the Father abideth not in him When a great and principall River is divided into many rivolets or little streames so much the lesle water will every one of them have The like succeedeth with that Heart which is divided into many cares and desires Foolish and noysime lusts drowne men in destruction and perdition 1 Tim. 6.9 And Solomon saith When thou sittest with a Prince observe what is before thee And put a Knife to thy throat if thou beest a man given to appetite Prov. 23.1.2 A Christian sitting at the King of Heavens Table is the hearing of his Word this is that board to which wisedome inviteth us where the Bread of wholesome Doctrine is set before us which strengthneth our hearts and the wine of Grace which cheereth and comforteth our Soules at which Table whosoever shall come to sit must consider with attention that which is set before him casting out of his minde all other worldly things Those Ministers that were employed for the apprehending of our Saviour
Acts 9.4 who ceased from going on in his persecuting course that he might heare Christ speaking unto him And thus the Word is able to make our soules Immortall for t is a great deceit to think to retaine our sins still and yet to heare the Word unto salvation And if so then what shall become of those men that set down their resolution to continue in theirsins for a season are resolved to trade in Drunkennesse Whoredom Covetousnesse c surely there can be no ground in such mens hearts for the Word of God to grow up to the saving of their soules the seed may happily be sown amongst them but it cannot possibly enter to doe them good Obj. But it may be objected That if the Word cannot profit any but such as put away all sin it cannot then profit any man that heareth seeing no man can so put away his sins as that his ground may be cleare Ans The Answer is this That every godly person doth cleere the ground of his heart from all sin so as that he is not pleased with any sin but he hates it and himselfe for committing it he strives against it and he is dayly grieved and poures forth his supplications for the pardon of it You may look for this at your leisures upon the first of Saint John the third and third and fifth and eighteenth and he that will not once put his helping hand to the removing of his sins that he may make roome for the Word of God to be grafted in him need never look for any comfortable event of his hearing but having thus shaken off all impediments all distracting objects and hearkning unto the Word without disturbance hearing as it were for our lives thus heare and your soules shall live Secondly VVe must prove all things and keep that which is good we must heate with judgement and hearken for our selves its ordinary with most men to heare for others and not for themselves but we must have a speciall care to look to that Doctrine which in particular concerns us to lay that up in our hearts and apply it effectually and this is a rule of singular thrift in godlinesse if we doe marke what sin in us the Lord reproveth or what comfort is especially fitted to our hearts or what direction doth chiefly concerne us and he hath an honest memory that will be sure to keep these things though he forget all the rest but he hath a wretched memory and heart too that forgets these things though he could repeat all the Sermon verbatim 3. After we have heard two things likewise must be done First we must by Meditation labour to make those things we have heard and which concerns us fast that they slip not out of our minds and we must take heed that neither the Devill steale away the good seed nor our own hearts through negligence lose it the VVord being let into the heart must setledly continue and not be broken off by the wild beasts of vain speeches and cogitations nor blowne out by the gusts of strong winds of Sathans temptations or of his Instruments that will immediately after we have heard the word be offering other objects for our minds to be taken up withall Psal 1.2 The blessed man doth not onely Reade but Meditates upon the Word David hid the word in his heart even as he that hath bought a Pearle of incomparable worth hideth it And as the Husbandman having cast his Seed into the ground harrowes it in so this Heavenly Plant of the word must be set into the understanding and affections it must enter into the heart as before is said like the Impe into the Stocke and being imbraced and closed about with love and affections it then thrives and grows and prospers David is a notable example for this how often doth he expresse his affections to the word in his 119. Psalme And Saint Paul professed Rom. 7.22 the Law to have been his delight as it is indeed oâ— every blessed man for the hearing of the word is not sufficient neither is it sufficient to keep those things we havâ— heard for an houre but it ought to be our delight and our dayly worke we should alwayes be thinking and ruminating of what we have heard till there be a sure impression of the word in our hearts Let then every one of us gage our soules and try and see whether we finde our selves to be such as to whom the word is thus powerfull to save our soules that we goe not on upon false grounds in our hopes about this unspeakable blessednesse Doth thy heart cleave before the word Preached through trembling and terrour in respect of thy sins and the sins of others Is it ingrafted in thee Doth it enter into thy understanding and is it closed about with a most earnest love and affection Doth it remaine with thee after the hearing of it by serious Meditation and doth it grow and is it vigorous in thy life over-topping all superfluous branches of sin then thou mayest truely comfort thy selfe it shall undoubtedly be thy salvation But if thine heart be hardened and not to be moved before the word if thy understanding be so blinded as that thou hast no apprehension of that which is taught if thy affections be so benummed as that thou art without all love unto it if thou give way to worldly and vaine discourses works or sports after thou hast heard insomuch that all departeth out of thy memory againe so soon as thou hast received it if all teaching be neglected and thou swimmest in the streame of thine owne corruptions then look not up to the joyes of Heaven for no part of them belongs unto thee for though Food being eaten is able to save the life and Apparell put on to keep the body warme and a Treasure possessed to enrich a man yet he that Feedeth not shall be Famisht with Hunger he that goeth Naked shall be pinched with Cold and he that hath wealth and will not use it is but a poor miserable man so he that maketh no better use of the word which is the onely satning Food of his Soule his Soule shall be hunger-starved and perish notwithstanding all his hearing And this is the case of most men in these times wherein sin and the neglect of Ordinances hath gotten such an head through a long continued custome that though the heardest Oke is cloven with wedges and the flintiest Stone made hollow with continuall dropping of water yet there is not one heart amongst many penetrated by the VVord and if there be any trembling sometime as it was with Felix when Paul Preached it is but for the present the word is not retained but flown from as it was by him so that there can be no growth of this Heavenly suckle in these mens lives but branches of sinne will be so luxuriant that the word will be farre over-topt by them and kept perpetually at under And therefore