When Samuel knew it was the Lord that spake to him, he lent his ear, 1 Sam. iii. 10. If we do not regard God when he speaks to us, he will not regard us when we pray to him.

2. Consider how serious and weighty the matters delivered to us are.

it is not only a grieving the Spirit of God, but a making the hearts of the righteous sad, Ezek. xiii. 22. It troubles them to see any shew such a contempt of God and his worship; to see them busy in the shop, but drowsy in the temple. Therefore, as Christ said, Mat. xxvi. 40., "Could ye As Moses said, Deut. not watch one hour?" so, can ye xxx. 19., "I call heaven and not wake one hour? I deny not earth to record this day, that I but that a child of God may have set before you life and death." sometimes through weakness and Can men be regardless of the indisposition of body drop asleep word, or drowsy when the weighty at a sermon, but it is not volun- matters of eternity are set before tary or ordinary. The sun may them? We preach of faith, and be in an eclipse, but not often; if holiness of life, and the day of sleeping be customary and al- judgment, and the eternal recomlowed, it is a very bad sign, and penses; here is life and death set a profaning of the ordinance. A before you, and doth not all this good remedy against drowsiness call for serious attention? is to use a spare diet upon this letter were read to one of special day. Such as indulge their ap- business, wherein his life and petite too much on a sabbath, are estate were concerned, would not fitter to sleep on a couch, than he be very serious in listening to pray in the temple. Now, that that letter? In the preaching of you may throw off distracting the word your salvation is conthoughts and drowsiness on the cerned; and if ever you would Lord's day, and may hear the attend, it should be now, Deut. word with reverent attention, xxxii. 47., "It is not a vain thing consider, for you, because it is your life.'

1. It is God that speaks to us in his word; therefore the preaching of the word is called the "breath of his lips," Isa. xi. 4. And Christ is said now "to speak to us from heaven," Heb. xii. 25., as a king speaks in his ambassador. Ministers are but as the pipes and organs, it is the Spirit of the Living God breathes in them. When we come to the word, we should think thus with ourselves: God speaks in this preacher. The Thessalonians heard the word Paul preached as if God himself had spoken unto them, 1 Thess. ii. 13., "When ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God."

If a

3. To give way to vain thoughts and drowsiness in hearing, doth much gratify Satan. He knows that not to mind a duty is all one as not to do a duty in religion. "What the heart doth not do, is not done." Therefore Christ saith of some, Hearing, they hear not," Mat. xiii. 13. How could that be? Because, though the word sounded in their ear, yet they minded not what was said to them, their thoughts were upon other things,-therefore it was all one as if they did not hear. Hearing, they hear not ;" and doth not this please Satan, to see men come to the word, and as good stay away? They are haunted with vain thoughts; they are taken off the

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duty while they are in it; their of thy hearing. Hast thou been body is in the assembly, their affected with the word? Hast heart in their shop: thou profited by it? And how they hear not." can we give an account if we 4. It may be the last sabbath have been distracted in hearing, that ever we shall keep; we may and have not taken notice what go from the place of hearing to hath been said to us? The judge the place of judging; and shall to whom we must give an account not we give reverent attention to is God. Were one to give an the word; did we think thus when account to man, he might falsify we come into God's house: Per- his accounts; but we must give haps this will be the last time an account to God. Nec donis that ever God will counsel us corrumpitur, nec blanditiis falliabout our souls; before another tur, BERN. "He is so just a sermon, death's alarms will sound God that he cannot be bribed, in our ears; with what attention and so wise that he cannot be deand devotion should we come hi- ceived." Therefore, going to give ther, and our affections should be an account to such an impartial all on fire in hearing! judge, how should we observe every word preached, remembering the account? Let all this make us shake off distraction and drowsiness in hearing, and have our ears chained to the word.

5. You must give an account for every sermon you hear, Luke xvi. 2., Redde rationem,-" Give an account of thy stewardship." So will God say, Give an account

EXOD. xx. 8., Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy, &c.

2d. If you would hear the word aright, lay aside those things which may render the word preached ineffectual: As,

the garnishing of the dish more than the food; this is to desire to be pleased, rather than edified. Like a woman that paints her face, but neglects her health: so they paint and adorn themselves with curious speculations, but neglect their soul's health. This hearing doth neither sanctify the heart, nor the sabbath.

1. Curiosity. Some come to the word preached, not so much to get grace, as to enrich themselves with notions: "Itching ears," 2 Tim. iv. 2. Austin confesseth that before his conversion, he went to hear St. Ambrose, ra- 2. Lay aside prejudice. 1. ther for his eloquence, than for Prejudice against the truths the spirituality of the matter. preached. The Sadducees were Ezek. xxxiii. 32., "Thou art prejudiced against the doctrine of unto them as a very lovely song the resurrection, Luke xx. 27.— of one that hath a pleasant voice, 2. Prejudice against the person and can play well on an instru- preaching: 1 Kings xxii. 8., ment." Many come to the word "There is one Michaiah by whom only to feast their ears; they like we may inquire of the Lord, but the melody of the voice, the mel- I hate him." This hinders the lifluous sweetness of the expres- virtue of the word. If a patient sion, the newness of the notion, hath an ill opinion of his physiActs xvii. 21. This is to love cian, he will not take any of his

recipes though never so good. | selves for sin, sit as judges upon Prejudice in the mind is like an the preacher; either his sermon obstruction in the stomach which had too much gall in it, or it was hinders the nutritive virtue of the too long. These will sooner cenmeat. Prejudice poisons the sure a sermon than they will word, and makes it lose its effi- practise it. God will judge the cacy. judger, Mat. vii. 1.

3. Lay aside covetousness. Covetousness is not only getting the world unjustly, but loving it inordinately; this is a great hindrance to the word preached. The seed which fell among thorns was choked, Mat. xiii. 22.: an emblem of the word being preached to a covetous hearer. The covetous man is thinking on the world when he is hearing; his heart is in his shop, Ezek. xxxiii. 31., "They sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." A covetous hearer derides the word, Luke xvi. 14., "The Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him."

6. Lay aside disobedience. Rom. x. 21., "All the day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient people." 'Tis spoken of the Jews; God stretched out his hand in the preaching of the word, but they rejected Christ. Let there be none among you that wilfully refuse the counsels of the word; it is sad to have an adder's ear, an adamant heart, Zech. vii. 11, 12. If, when God speaks to us in his word, we are deaf; when we speak to him in prayer, he will be dumb.

3d. If you would hear the word aright, have good ends in hearing; "come to the word to be made better." Some have no other end in hearing, but because it is in fashion, or to gain repute, or stop the mouth of conscience; but come to the word to be made more holy. There is a great deal of difference between one that goes to a garden for flowers to wear in her bosom, and another that goes for flowers to make syrups and niedicines of. We should go to the word for a medicine to cure us, as Naaman the Syrian went to Jordan to be healed of his leprosy: 2 Pet. ii. 2., “Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Come to the word to be changed into the similitude of it; as the seal leaves its print upon the wax, so labour that the word preached may leave the print of its own holiness upon your heart; labour that the word may have such a virtue upon you, as the water of 5. Lay aside censoriousness. jealousy, to kill and make fruitSome, instead of judging them-[ful, Numb. v. 27. That it may

4. Lay aside partiality. Partiality in hearing is, when we like to hear some truths preached, but not all. We love to hear of heaven, but not of self-denial; of reigning with Christ, but not of suffering; of the more facile duties of religion, but not them which are more knotty and difficult,-as mortification,-laying the axe to the root, and hewing down their beloved sin: Isa. xxx. 10., " Prophesy smooth things," -such as may not grate upon our conscience. Many like to hear of the love of Christ, but not of their loving their enemies; they like the comforts of the word, but not the reproofs. Herod heard John Baptist gladly; he liked many truths, but not when he spake against his incest. Lay aside partiality.

kill your sins, and make your souls fruitful in grace.

word, it is like leaving out the chief ingredient in a medicine, 4th. If you would hear the which makes it ineffectual; unword aright, come to it with de- belief hardens men's hearts against light. The word preached is a the word, Acts xix. 9., " Divers feast of fat things: with what were hardened, and believed not." delight do men come to a feast? Men hear many truths delivered The word preached anoints the concerning the preciousness of blind eye; mollifies the rocky Christ,-the beauty of holiness, heart; it beats off our fetters, the felicity of a glorified estate, and turns us from the " power but, if through unbelief and of Satan to God," Acts xxvi. 18. atheism they question these truths, The word is the seed of regene- we may as well speak to the ration, James i. 18., the engine stones and pillars of the church of salvation. Hear the word as to them. That word which is with delight and complacency, not believed, can never be pracJer. xv. 16., "Thy words were tised. Ubi male creditur, ibi nec found, and I did eat them. Thy bene vivitur, HIEROM. Unbelief word was unto me the rejoicing makes the word preached of no of my heart." Ps. cxix. 103., effect: Heb. iv. 2., "The word "How sweet are thy words unto preached did not profit, not being my taste! yea, sweeter than ho- mixed with faith in them that ney to my mouth." Yea, love heard it." The word to an unthat word which comes most believer is like dioscordium put home to the conscience; bless into a dead man's mouth, which God when your corruptions have been met with, when the sword of the Spirit hath divided between you and your sins. Who cares for that physic which will not work.

5th. If you would hear the word aright, mix it with faith. Believe the verity of the word preached, that it is that word by which you must be judged; not only give evidence to the word preached, but learn to apply it to your own souls; faith concocts the word, and turns it into spiritual nourishment. Many hear the word, but it may be said of them, as Ps. cvi. 24., 66 They be lieved not his word." As Melancthon once said to some of the Italians, "Ye Italians worship God in the bread, when ye do not believe him to be in heaven:" so, many hear God's words, but do not believe that God is; they question the truth of his oracles. If we do not mix faith with the

loseth all its virtue. If there be any unbelievers in our congregations, what shall ministers say to God at the last day? "Lord, we have preached to the people thou sentest us to,-we shewed them our commission,-we declared unto them the whole counsel of God,-but they believed never a word we spake; we told them what would be the fruit of sin, but they would drink their sugared draught, though there was death in the cup; Lord, we are free from their blood." God forbid that ever ministers should make this report to God of their people! But this they must be forced to do, if people live and die in unbelief. Would you sanctify a sabbath in bearing the word aright? hear the word with faith. The apostle puts these two together, "belief and salvation," Heb. x. 39., "We are of them who believe to the saving of the soul."

6th. If you would hear the word up in your memories and word aright, hear it with meek hearts, Luke viii. 15., "The spirits: James i. 21., “ Receive seed on the good ground are they, the word in mansuetudine,-with who having heard the word, keep meekness." Meekness is a sub- it." The Greek word for "to missive frame of heart to the keep," signifies to hold the word word; contrary to this meekness fast, that it do not run from us. is fierceness of spirit, when men If the seed be not kept in the rise up in a rage against the word, ground, but is presently washed as if the patient should be angry away, it is sown to little purpose: with the physician when he gives so, if the word preached be not him a recipe to purge out his bad kept in your memories and hearts, humours: Acts vii. 54., "When it is preached in vain. Many they heard this, they were cut to people have memories like leaky the heart, and gnashed on Ste- vessels. If the word goes out as phen with their teeth." 2 Chron. fast as it comes in, how can it xvi. 10., "Asa was wroth with profit? If a treasure be put in a the seer, and put him in a prison- chest, and the chest be not lockhouse." Pride and guilt make ed, it may easily be taken out a men fret at the word. What bad memory is like a chest withmade Asa storm so, but pride? out a lock, the devil can easily he was a king, and thought he take out all the treasure, Luke was too good to be told of his viii. 12., "Then comes the devil sin. What made Cain so angry, and takes away the word out of when God said to him, "Where their hearts." Labour to keep in is Abel thy brother?" Saith he, memory the truths you hear; the "Am I my brother's keeper?" things we esteem we are not so What made him so touchy, but apt to forget. Will a bride guilt? He had imbrued his forget her jewels?' Jer. ii. 32., hands in his brother's blood. If "Can a maid forget her ornayou would hear the word aright, ments?" Did we prize the word lay down your passions,-" receive the word with meekness," -get humble hearts to submit to the truths delivered. God takes the meek person to be his scholar, Ps. xxv. 9.," The meek will he teach his way." Meekness makes the word preached to be an "ingrafted word," James i. 21. A 8th. If you would hear aright, good scion grafted in a bad stock practise what you hear. Practice changeth the nature of it, and is the life of all: Rev. xxii. 14., makes it bear good and generous "Blessed are they that do his fruit; so, when the word preach- commandments, that they may ed is grafted into men's hearts, it have right to the tree of life." sanctifies them and makes them Bare hearing will be no plea at bring forth the sweet fruits of the day of judgment, "Lord, I righteousness. By meekness it have heard so many sermons.' becomes an ingrafted word. But God will say, "What fruits

more, we should not so soon forget it; if the meat doth not stay in the stomach, but comes up as fast as we eat it, it cannot nourish: so, if the word stays not in the memory, but is presently gone, it can do the soul but little good.

7th. If you would hear the of obedience have ye brought word aright, be not only atten- forth?" The word we preach is tive, but retentive. Lay the not only to inform you, but re